


Of Scavengers and Smugglers

by auguy86



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Consensual Sex, F/M, First Time Blow Jobs, Loss of Virginity, Oral Sex, Romance, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-10 17:45:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8926435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auguy86/pseuds/auguy86
Summary: In the barren wastelands of Jakku, ruffians from all corners of the galaxy struggle to survive. When a young man looking to disappear arrives in town, he has no idea what sort of life awaits him. That is, until he meets the girl of his dreams...





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, readers! This piece of Star Wars fan-fiction is a three-part mini-series I’ve been mulling over for some time now. I know not everyone will agree, but I loved the hell out of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, and in particular Rey, the main heroine. This story takes place leading up to the events of the film, showing my idea of what Rey’s potential love life could have looked like. Obviously, this is pure fiction, did not happen, any similarities to real-life events are coincidental, yada yada yada. I’ve had a lot of fun with this story, so I hope you enjoy.

“How the hell do I get myself into these messes?”

Jakson piloted his ship through the rough atmosphere of Jakku, working just to stay on course. Truthfully, this ship needed both a pilot and a copilot, but he was good enough to make it work. All he required was a safe landing area. Keeping a firm hand on the controls, a red warning light began to flash in front of him.

“Ah, shit… fuel’s leaking.” Checking his chart of the planet, Jakson saw his destination in range at last. “Niima Outpost… here we come.”

Approaching the tiny settlement, Jakson made for the small shipyard on the outskirts of town. The old freighter sputtered and sparked on approach, but he was finally able to set down in the middle of the clearing. Happy to be alive, he relaxed for a few moments before hearing a transmission from the intercom.

_“Unidentified ship, you have landed in a restricted area. Step out of your vessel with your hands up.”_

“Of course,” he sighed to himself, unbuckling his crash restraints. Jakson stood and made sure his Bryar pistol was securely holstered at his side. After lowering the exit ramp of the ship, he proceeded into the scorching heat of Jakku, his hands clearly visible the entire time. Soon, he came upon a team of five masked security officers.

“Pilot, you have landed in Unkar Plutt’s personal shipyard without permission. State your business,” the leader commanded.

Smiling, Jakson replied, “I’m here to meet with Unkar Plutt. I have something he’s going to want.”

*****

“These damn scavengers… they never find anything worthwhile anymore,” Unkar Plutt growled. Sitting at his workbench, he sorted through the various parts he had purchased that day.

“Mr. Plutt, sir!”

“What is it?” he replied, turning to find one of his security officers.

“An unauthorized ship has landed in your shipyard. The pilot says he’s here to see you. He says he has something you want.”

“Hmm,” Plutt said, rubbing his large, bulbous chin. “Bring him in.”

“Yes sir.”

The guards soon brought forth a young man of about twenty-five. His shaggy, sandy-brown hair was quite unkempt, extending almost to his jawline. This combined with his rough beard to create a rather crazed appearance. Yet, in spite of his disheveled looks, the man’s blue eyes projected an air of quiet confidence. After removing his wrist binders, the guards retreated to the corners of the room.

“Well, sit down then,” Plutt said shortly. As the man did so, he continued, “My men tell me you have something I want, is that right?”

“That is. My name is Jakson. I come by way of the Irving Boys.”

“Hah! The Irving Boys…”

“Yep. Toursant and Vanver themselves.”

“And why have they sent you here?” Plutt asked.

“They didn’t. I’m on the run from them,” Jakson replied. “Let me explain… I’m sure you’re well aware of the Irving Boys’ unlucky streak in regards to their illegal operations. One of their recent endeavors went south in a big way, attracting unwanted attention. That is, it would be, if they hadn’t framed me as the mastermind of the operation. Now I’ve got a bounty on my head the size of Yavin. That’s why I’m here. I need a place to disappear, something that's easy to do in Niima Outpost.”

“Interesting… and what is to prevent me from collecting on such a large bounty?” Unkar Plutt asked, drawing a blaster pistol from his side.

Jakson just smiled right back at him. “That ship currently parked in your shipyard. I stole it from the Irving Boys. You should be able to see it from that window there,” he said, gesturing to the small window in Plutt’s office.

Lowering the pistol, Plutt rose and peered out the window. “Is that?”

“Yep. An old Corellian YT model freighter. Looks like a bucket of bolts, and needs some serious repairs, but that thing has some of the most incredible hardware I’ve ever seen. We’re talkin’ customized weapons systems, secret compartments for smuggling, you name it! A little work, and I bet she’d make 0.5 past lightspeed.”

Turning back towards Jakson, Unkar Plutt mulled over the young man’s offer. “What exactly would you want in exchange for this ship?”

“Permission to live here in secrecy. A guarantee that you will forget about that bounty I mentioned. And a house of some sort, somewhere to lay my head at night. And access to food and water, of course.”

“Hmm… permission to live here is granted. I’m not sure if you mentioned anything about a bounty or not; my memory is not what it used to be, you know,” Plutt replied with a slight belly laugh. “As for a house, I have something that I think can accommodate you: an abandoned Imperial _Lambda_ -class shuttle southwest of town. I have had it staked off as a place to go on my vacations. Still, for a ship like the one you’ve brought me, I suppose I can part with it.”

“Sounds good. Now, what about food and water?” Jakson asked.

“Food and water are never free in Niima Outpost. If you want those, you will work for them. By day, you will scavenge for spare parts out in the Graveyard of Giants. Clean them up and bring them to me, and if they are useful I’ll give you some of my food rations. It is that simple.”

Jakson was a little perturbed by this, but decided he had to accept. After all, he was the best mechanic the Irving Boys had ever employed. How hard could scavenging be? Eying Unkar Plutt a moment longer, he finally stuck out his hand.

“Agreed.”

“Excellent. The rules of Niima Outpost are simple. Do as I say. Do as my guards say, as they are under my orders. Finally, stay away from the scavenger with the quarterstaff.”

“May I ask why?”

“That is my best scavenger, and that one works best when left alone. My men will not hesitate to remind you of this should you forget,” Plutt warned.

“Um… ok then. I’ll go get my survival supplies off the ship. You said the Imperial shuttle is southwest of town?”

“It is, maybe a kilometer or two. It’s the only ship in the area, you won’t miss it.”

*****

The next several months were quite a change for Jakson. Gone was the exhilarating life of a smuggler, replaced with the simple existence of a scavenger. As such, he decided to change his appearance, cutting his hair short and shaving his beard. This not only made the desert heat more bearable, but also threw off any potential bounty hunters. He had developed quite a knack for machinery over the years, and was often able to salvage parts that others had passed over as useless. His most incredible find, a crashed Imperial speeder bike, came after about a month on Jakku. He at first considered scrapping it for several weeks worth of food, but soon thought better of it. It took a lot of work, but he finally managed to get it running again. Despite a nonfunctional laser cannon, Jakson’s new transportation was quite impressive.

The speeder bike allowed Jakson to travel to other wrecks unreachable without adequate transportation. His daily labors provided him enough spare parts to remain quite well fed and comfortable. His new home, a crashed shuttle named the _Tarkin_ , was rather spacious and well preserved. Unkar Plutt had used it as a vacation home over the years, converting much of the troop seating area into a living room. Further, part of the cargo hold made for quite a luxurious bedroom. Considering the circumstances, Jakson was more fortunate than most on Jakku.

All the while, Jakson saw the mysterious scavenger with the quarterstaff. Each day, he caught a glimpse of him, usually flying by on a pieced-together speeder. If that scavenger had managed to build that speeder by himself, he had to be one hell of a mechanic. Still, Jakson never knew what this mystery scavenger looked like under the face wrap and work goggles. Remembering Plutt’s warning, he remained a safe distance away at all times.

After a few months, Jakson became well known around Niima Outpost for his reliability. Not only was he able to salvage almost anything, but his bike also provided him an incredible range within which to work. Unfortunately, that success attracted some of the seedier residents of Jakku. One hot evening, Jakson was hauling his final bag of parts at the end of the day. As he approached his speeder bike, a Teedo had parked himself alongside, strode atop a luggabeast. The scavenger raised his electropole and shouted an unintelligible threat in an alien language. Jakson drew his blaster pistol, but was halted by the sound of another individual behind him.

“Drop the weapon.”

Knowing he was outnumbered, and feeling a blaster pressed to his back, Jakson complied. He kept his hands in plain sight as the Teedo approached. The creature began to rummage through Jakson's bag of spoils, looking for anything of value. But, as the alien continued to inspect the bag, a loud thud sounded from behind Jakson.

“Ow!”

No longer held at gunpoint, Jakson spun around and saw the blaster-wielding thug lying on the ground in pain. Standing over the male Twi'lek was the mysterious scavenger, quarterstaff in hand. Taking the opportunity, Jakson turned his attention to the Teedo. The pair traded blows, but the smaller alien was quite scrappy and managed to knock Jakson onto his back. Before he could finish Jakson, the masked scavenger assumed a defensive stance between them. Knowing they were beat, the two would-be robbers dashed off into the desert.

“Whew… thanks… for the help,” Jakson heaved.

After helping Jakson to his feet, the stranger made for his speeder and took off before Jakson even knew what had happened.

“Hey, wait! Who are you?!” he shouted, but it was no use. He was gone. “Huh… odd.”

*****

That day taught Jakson an important lesson in watching his back during his time on Jakku. He remained vigilant in guarding his spoils and home against the scum of Niima Outpost. Still, he felt bad that he hadn’t been able to thank the mysterious scavenger for his help. This guy had no skin in the fight, yet chose to step in because it was the right thing to do. Though he remembered Unkar Plutt’s warning, Jakson still sought to find a way to repay that kindness.

Such an opportunity arose about a week after the robbery incident. As Jakson ate his lunch atop a tall dune, he saw a familiar-looking speeder zooming through the desert below him. As the stranger rode, a Steelpecker bird suddenly flew in front of the speeder, forcing the driver to swerve and crash. The speeder hit the sand with a thud, but the scavenger was flung a few dozen feet away, landing in a pit of sinking sand. Jakson immediately saw the stranger struggling and being swallowed by the desert and leapt up to help. He sprinted as fast as he was able, grabbing the scavenger’s quarterstaff from the sand along the way.

“Here! Grab on!” Jakson shouted as he reached the edge of the sand pit.

“I’m… trying!” the stranger gasped. Finally, after two unsuccessful attempts, he managed to latch both hands onto the quarterstaff. “Ok, I’ve got it!”

“Alright, hang on!”

Jakson pulled with all his might, beginning to counteract the effects of the sinking sands. It took nearly five minutes, but the pair managed to claw their way out of the pit thanks to a few well-placed roots. Finally back on solid ground, the stranger collapsed to his knees, panting and heaving.

“Easy, easy there. You’re alright,” Jakson said, kneeling down next to him.

“Can’t breathe… can’t breathe!”

Trying desperately to catch his breath, the stranger finally unwrapped the mask from his face and tore off the helmet and goggles on his head.

“GAH!”

As the scavenger finally tasted fresh air once more, Jakson was stunned to learn that his savior from a week previous was not a man at all, but a woman. She was young, perhaps nineteen or twenty, yet also quite strong. After all, she had fought off a pair of muggers and crawled out of that sand pit. As she finally managed to calm herself, Jakson finally found the words to speak.

“You’re… a girl?”

With a slight laugh, she replied, “Yeah, I’m a girl. Don’t worry, most men have that reaction when they meet me.”

Jakson couldn't help but notice her extreme natural beauty, which was only accentuated by her strength. Though the dusty clothes wrapped around her hid most of her body, he could tell that it was still thin and quite athletic. She had tied her dark brown hair up in a trio of small buns traveling down the back of her head and neck, perfect for the scorching heat of Jakku. Her face, and in particular her eyes, were strong and tough. Yet the occasional smile that flashed across her face hinted at a playful side buried deep down.

“You’re staring,” she said in her gorgeous accent.

“Oh, um… sorry,” Jakson replied sheepishly. “I, uh, never got a chance to thank you for your help last week.”

“I’d say you just did that quite well. I suppose this is the point where the swooning girl falls to her knees thanking her hero?” she teased.

“HAH! Maybe, if I hadn’t already seen you fight. So, what’s your name?”

“Rey.”

“Rey, I’m Jakson. My friends call me Jak,” he replied, extending his hand.

Looking at his hand for a few moments, Rey finally said, “Friend?”

“I mean friends do save each others’ lives, don’t they?”

Smiling, she shook his hand warmly and replied, “That they do. Glad to know you, Jak.”

“Come on. Let’s get your speeder back up and running.”

“I’m not helpless, I know how to repair a speeder.”

“And so do I, meaning it’ll go that much faster,” Jakson shot back. “I’m not offering to help because I think you’re weak.”

Kneeling down next to her wrecked speeder, Rey asked, “And why are you offering to help?”

“Why’d you help me last week?”

“Because… it was the right thing to do,” she said in realization.

The pair righted her speeder in record time, the work going much faster from their tandem efforts. Rey performed diagnostics on the engine while Jakson secured her payload of scavenged parts to the side of the speeder.

“Nice haul,” he remarked.

“Thanks. With any luck, nice enough for a couple of good meals.”

Imitating Unkar Plutt, Jakson said, “Let’s see… today you’ve brought me an Imperial Tie Fighter, still in working order, customized with a hyperdrive even… I’d say that’s worth… one quarter portion!”

Rey cracked up laughing at his spot-on impersonation, falling to the sand from atop her speeder. “That’s exactly what he’d say!”

Jakson smiled at hearing her sweet laugh. He could tell that this girl had lived the hard life of a scavenger for years, and seeing her smile was a treat for him. He was growing rather fond of this girl and, in spite of Unkar Plutt’s warnings, was becoming quite attracted to her. She was smart, strong, and fearless. He had never wanted anything more than those things in a woman. The fact that she was also beautiful was just a bonus.

“Ok, looks like we’re up and running. Diagnostics are all green,” Rey said, interrupting his thoughts.

“Awesome.”

Turning back to Jakson, Rey hesitated for a moment, almost as if she was searching for the right words to say. “Um… thank you for your help, Jak. That was generous of you, and I do appreciate it.”

“Anytime. It’s the least I can do after last week.”

“Think nothing of it,” Rey replied with a smile. “I… guess I’d better get going. Gotta get these parts cleaned up before they’re worth anything.”

As she turned to go, Jakson said, “Uh, Rey?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you, I don’t know, want to join me for dinner tonight? I want to thank you properly for everything. I know it’s just polystarch and veg-meat, but I can’t think of anyone I’d rather share such an exquisite meal with.”

Rey eyed him for several long moments, processing what he had said. “You know what the Blobfish will do to you if he finds out, right?”

“You saying he controls you?” Jakson replied with a grin.

Returning his smile, Rey said, “Hell no. All right, come by my place at sunset: an old AT-AT in the Goazon Badlands, the _Hellhound Two_. You can park your bike underneath the legs; I’ll leave a spare tarp for you to cover it with.”

“Sounds great. And don’t worry. I have no delusions about the danger in this.”

“Good.” Boarding her speeder, Rey called out, “See you tonight, Jak. Just remember, when we’re in town, we don’t know each other.”

“Who are you again?” came his snarky reply as she started up her vehicle and sped off towards Niima Outpost. “Damn, she’s somethin’ else,” Jakson sighed to himself.

*****

For the rest of the afternoon, Jakson worked at his home to repair and clean the parts he had scavenged for the day. It was tedious and exhausting, but doing it at home was far better than using the cleaning stations in town. Unkar Plutt loved to deduct rations as payment for using his cleaning supplies. As the day neared its end, Jakson packed up his haul and rode into town, arriving at the long line of the concession stand. While he waited his turn, he caught a glimpse of Rey departing on her speeder, food rations in hand. Tempted as he was to wave to her, he thought better of it in the nick of time. By then he had made it to the front of the line.

“Let me see… these parts are worth, I’d say, a portion and a half,” Unkar Plutt muttered after inspecting Jakson’s haul.

“Nice doing business with you,” Jakson sighed, taking his food and starting back to his bike.

Departing town immediately, Jakson journeyed back to his home, putting away his supplies once he had arrived. As it was still an hour or so until sunset, he stripped off his clothes and took a quick shower, washing the stink of the day off his body. Redressing himself, he couldn’t help but notice the amount of muscle he had developed in the last few months.

_Scavenging apparently does wonders for the body, he mused to himself_.

Jakson zoomed off on his speeder bike, making sure to encircle Niima Outpost at a fair distance to avoid attracting attention. Even with his nerves about disobeying Plutt’s orders, he found himself enthralled at the chance to get to know this girl. Everything he knew about her thus far was just incredible. She was strong, independent, intelligent, and resourceful, all traits he held in high regard. Jakson had never been a one-woman man, as his employment with the Irving Boys wouldn’t allow for it. Still, he figured now might be as good a time as any to try and establish a long-term connection. After all, it’s not like he’d be going anywhere for the foreseeable future.

Soon, he spotted his destination over the next dune: the downed AT-AT _Hellhound Two_. Parking underneath one of the legs as Rey had instructed, Jakson found a tarp waiting for him, which he used to cover his ride up. Not only would this would protect it from the sand, but it also would prevent any passersby from wondering who was visiting Rey’s home. After grabbing his food rations from the storage bin, Jakson took a deep breath and knocked on the main hatch on the belly of the AT-AT.

“Jak! Come on in!” Rey said as she opened the hatch.

“Thanks for having me.”

“Not at all. It’s rare that I encounter someone in this wasteland that actually possesses a soul. I'd be a fool to turn down such great company. Make yourself at home. Here, I’ll get the food ready.”

Jakson looked around her makeshift home and was quite impressed. Though not as spacious as his shuttle, Rey had gone to great lengths to ensure that the space was all her own. A small bed sat in the corner with the bathroom entrance right next to it. Opposite that side of the room sat Rey’s workbench, littered with various parts she was working to repair and clean. In the center of it all was a small eating area, containing a table with some cushions surrounding it. A large pile of pillows against the wall functioned as a relaxation area. On the wall itself were a large number of small scratches, too many to even count. Jakson couldn’t help but wonder what they meant.

“Ok, food’s ready,” came Rey’s voice, interrupting his thoughts.

“Thanks,” Jakson replied, taking the plate from her with a smile.

Sitting around the table, the pair began eating their meager rations. The polystarch was as tasteless and bland as ever, and the veg-meat seemed a bit stale, but neither could complain about the company.

“Ok, I’ve seen you around for a few months now. What’s your story?” Rey asked.

Hesitating a moment, Jakson got the feeling he could trust her with some of his real backstory. “Well, I used to work for the Irving Boys, until they tried to pin one of their deals gone sour on me, placing a huge bounty on my head. Long story short, I had no choice but to steal a ship and disappear, and what better place to disappear than Niima Outpost?”

“You're not wrong there.”

“Once I arrived, I traded the ship I stole to Unkar Plutt in exchange for a place to live and a promise he would forget the bounty on my head. He gave me an abandoned _Lambda_ shuttle on the outskirts of town, and I’ve been scavenging to survive ever since.”

“So _that’s_ where the Blobfish got that old freighter!” Rey exclaimed.

“Yep. That thing has some of the most incredible machinery I’ve ever seen. If Unkar Plutt can find the right mechanic, he’ll make a pretty peggat in selling it.”

“Fat chance he’ll get that far. The man lords over our salvaged parts from behind his barred window, but in reality he’s a terrible judge of machines. He’s only ever out to make a quick sale.”

Laughing at her sarcastic wit, Jakson finished his rations. “Rey my dear, you are one amazing cook. You must have slaved for _hours_ on this meal!”

“Well, I have had more than enough practice opening packages of polystarch and veg-meat, so I would _hope_ it would be… edible, at least.”

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Jakson replied, taking a large drink of water to wash the last of his dinner down. “This is some setup you’ve got here, Rey. Most impressive.”

“Th-thanks,” Rey replied with a shy grin. “I’ve been on Jakku for about fifteen years, and in this transport for the last ten. That’s left me plenty of time to actually make it into a home.”

“Seems you’ve also found some incredible parts from your scavenging. Anything you’re particularly proud of?”

“Let me show you.”

Rey motioned to the large pile of pillows along the wall, relaxing on them with Jakson sitting next to her. Next to her was a small computer screen, attached to the wall by an adjustable arm. Rey pulled it forward so that they could both see it and began typing in some commands.

“I salvaged this from an old Y-wing fighter. Normally, it's nothing more than a targeting computer. But this one was also outfitted with a large number of training simulations,” Rey explained. “I practice my flying skills on this every night, and I’ve gotten quite good, if I do say so myself.”

“Gonna need some proof on that,” Jakson said with a grin.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Loading the simulation, Rey continued, “I’ve also been able to learn a variety of alien languages and even some Droidspeak. I don’t pretend to be an expert, but it’s served me well in trading for supplies. You'd be surprised how many languages you can hear in one day in Niima Outpost.”

_Damn, this girl’s got it all! Gorgeous, strong, smart… where the hell has she been all my life?_

By this time, the training program had loaded and Rey was engrossed in her flight path. Navigating a starfighter through a narrow canyon, while a daunting task for a novice, was child's play for Rey. She brought the ship into port in record time without even breaking a sweat.

“Your turn,” Rey said.

“Ah, shit…”

“It’s only fair! Come on, let’s see your skills!”

Jakson tried his best, but his real-life flying skills were limited to less maneuverable freighters. As such, the sensitive flight controls of the fighter on screen threw him off, resulting in several near misses along the canyon walls. He pressed on valiantly, but was finally caught by a stalagmite, his ship crashing in a ball of fire just before the finish line.

“Damn it all…”

“Ooh, so close, but no dice,” Rey taunted him.

“Oh yeah, you’re soooo cocky little missy. Just you wait ‘til I take you to my place and show you up in holochess.”

“Sounds like nothing but hot air to me.”

Smiling at the banter the pair was enjoying, Jakson’s eye caught sight of something next to the pile of pillows. “Now what is this?” Picking the object up, it appeared to be a small, handmade doll.

“That is Captain Dosmit Raeh. She’s been my best friend since I was a little girl. And this,” she continued, pulling something from the other side of the pillows, “is the flight helmet of the actual Captain Dosmit Raeh.”

“Woah…”

“I know, so cool, right? It’s an actual piece of galactic history. The Blobfish wouldn’t find any value in it, so I kept it. I don’t know anything about Dosmit Raeh, but I like to think that she would have to have been strong and resourceful in life. After all, she captained a Rebel Alliance fighter squadron. I tried to make that strength my inspiration as I grew up.”

“Succeeded, in my humble opinion.”

“You think so?” Rey asked, humbled and flattered by his complement.

“I know so,” Jakson replied. “The way you handle yourself out there, staring any threat in the face with nothing but confidence in your eyes, it’s incredible to watch. And yet, even with that tough outer shell, you still have this playful side that rocks flight simulations and plays with dolls.”

“Well… I owe that to that little green flower over there,” she said, pointing to the corner. “That’s a spinebarrel. It grew out of just the smallest patch of dirt that spilled into the walker. When I first found this place, I was in a bad state of mind, and thought I'd die before long. But then I saw that tiny flower fight to grow, thrive, and even become beautiful in this harsh environment. I promised myself I’d fight just as hard as that little plant, if not more so.”

“That’s… amazing.”

Marveling at her strength and determination, Jakson began to feel a serious connection to this girl. He could tell it went far beyond mere physical attraction. She had experienced such pain and hardship, yet refused to let that destroy her. His admiration for her was bringing out an emotion he hadn’t felt in so many years: happiness, true happiness, in its simplest form. As he pondered this, he absentmindedly leaned in closer to Rey, his hand soon resting on top of hers.

“Oh!”

“I’m sorry! It was an accident,” Jakson apologized, retracting his hand. “I didn’t mean to, ya know, make you feel uncomfortable or anything. I’m sorry, Rey.”

“No, no it’s quite alright. Really, it is. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“I’ll scoot down a bit, give you some more space.”

Touching his elbow, Rey replied, “You… don’t have to do that. In fact, you can keep touching my hand, um I mean, if you… want to?”

“O-ok. I guess, I mean I do want to.”

“Then you should,” Rey said nervously.

Slowly, Jakson moved his shaking hand towards hers, gently placing it on top of her knuckles. Her skin was tough, as was expected from her scavenging, yet still possessed a smooth texture. He stroked one of his fingers along the side of her hand, causing Rey to turn her hand up and intertwine her fingers with his. It was such a simple act, yet it seemed completely foreign in this barren desert. Here, physical pleasures and companionship were trumped by the need to survive. Rey gazed upward, locking her eyes onto Jakson’s. Her breathing became more labored, and she bit her lip slightly; Jakson could tell that the time was now, or likely never.

Taking a deep breath, he began to lean his face towards Rey’s, moving at a snail's pace to give her ample opportunity to move should she want to. She didn’t budge an inch, but rather ran her tongue over her lips. Finally, after several glorious tension-filled moments, Jakson closed the gap, brushing her lips with his as the pair’s eyes fluttered closed. Jakson savored every moment of their kiss, never pushing or probing with his tongue. After around twenty seconds, he retreated, opening his eyes to the gorgeous sight of Rey panting with a huge grin on her face.

“Wow…” she whispered, her eyes slowly opening.

“You can say that again.”

“You… are something else, Jak. I’m just, you know, sorry for my lack of... experience. I’ve never-”

“Rey, hush. That was amazing, plain and simple.” Leaning closer, he continued, “But if experience is a concern for you, I’d be more than willing to be your practice dummy.”

Rey giggled at his cheesy one-liner. “That’s almost as pathetic as some of the pick-up attempts I’ve gotten from the pilots in town.”

“Maybe, but I’m already farther along than they would’ve ever gotten.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Smiling, Rey ran her fingers through Jakson’s sandy brown hair. As odd as it seemed, she was beginning to feel relaxed and at ease with this man. Collecting her courage, she leaned in close to him once more, drawing his face towards hers. Though she was still tentative and unsure of what to do, she worked to be a more active participant in their second kiss. She tried to do what felt natural in the hopes it would enhance the experience. Jakson returned in kind, running his hand on her exposed shoulder as he explored her lips. After a couple of minutes, Rey was feeling far more confident, engaging in their kiss more enthusiastically and cupping Jakson’s face in her hands. Feeling her enjoyment, Jakson felt confident enough to take it a step farther, and flicked his tongue against her soft lips. She didn’t recoil in any way, so he did so again, this time with deliberate intent. This produced exactly the reaction he had hoped for, as Rey parted her lips to allow him access. As their tongues introduced themselves to each other, Rey began to lose herself in her emotions.

“Mmmmmm,” she moaned.

Moving her hands to the back of Jakson’s neck, Rey began to lie on her back, pulling him with her as she went. Jakson complied, smiling in-between their kisses and making sure he wouldn’t crush her with his body. He was painfully aware of the throbbing erection in his pants, but feared that pressing it against her would ruin the moment. After all, he could only assume that she was a virgin, and a sudden introduction might scare her off completely, he reasoned. He continued kissing her, but kept most of his body weight off of her in an attempt to conceal his rock hard cock. Rey must have perceived this as him being uncomfortable, and tried to rectify the situation.

“I think you’ll be far more comfortable like _this_ ,” she said with a grin.

“Wait, Rey,” Jakson tried to caution her, but she had already pulled him squarely on top of her. His boner was now wedged against her leg.

“Oh!” Rey gasped in surprise, breaking their kiss.

“I-I’m sorry, it just… has a mind of its own sometimes,” Jakson said, sitting up straight.

Sitting up next to him, Rey inquired, “Jak… are you saying… _I_ did that to you?”

With a nervous laugh, he replied, “Yeah, you did. I… I like you, Rey. You’re strong, intelligent, and I just love your story. With everything stacked against you, you still manage to retain your humanity. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to you.”

“You mean that?”

“I do. Rey, I have no delusions about my situation here; I’m gonna be in hiding for the rest of my life, most likely. But if I can somehow find some small scrap of happiness on this miserable planet… then I want to.”

Rey was completely dumbfounded by what he was telling her. She had zero experience with men in a romantic sense, and figured most of them for barbaric nerf-herders. Certainly the handful of pilots and traders that had mistakenly thought her for an easy conquest fell into this category. But this man was completely different. He wanted to know her as a person, and despite ample opportunity, had yet to attempt to take advantage of her. Rey didn’t think men like this existed, certainly not on Jakku. Yet right here, before her eyes, sat a man who was more interested in her mind than her body. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling at this point, but she knew that she had never felt happier than she did in that moment. That was enough for her.

“Um,” she started, collecting her courage. “I guess I should tell you… I’ve never felt… one of _those_ before, much less seen one,” she said pointing at Jakson’s crotch. “Does it hurt?”

“Eh, it can get a little uncomfortable if it’s in a bad position, but it usually feels great like this.”

“So… it wouldn’t hurt if I… touched it?”

“No, no it wouldn’t. But you’ve gotta promise me one thing before you do, Rey.”

“And that is?”

Jakson peered deep into her eyes, saying, “I only want you to do this if _you_ genuinely want to. Promise?”

With a huge grin, Rey reached out her trembling hand, feeling his engorged member through his dusty pants. “Promise.”

“Holy shit,” Jakson gasped, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Rey continued stroking his cock through his pants, remaining gentle in her touches, as she wasn’t sure how sensitive he might be. “Am… am I doing this right?” she asked.

“Uh huh,” Jakson managed to answer. “Mind if I… return the favor?”

“N-not at all.”

As Rey rubbed the crotch of his pants, Jakson drew her closer to him, kissing her sweetly on the lips. He then moved his hand from her back towards her front, grazing her breast as he went. This elicited an aroused gasp from Rey, but she didn’t recoil in the slightest, rather leaning in closer to kiss him more passionately. All too soon, Rey began to feel a wave of primal desire awaken within her. She felt completely out of control yet also quite powerful; deathly afraid and vivaciously excited. Unable to resist any longer, she flung her leg over Jakson’s lap and straddled him, his throbbing cock now grinding against her pussy. Slowing for a moment, she broke their kiss and gazed deep into his blue eyes.

“I don’t want to stop, but… I feel like you deserve to know that I’ve never done this before. I am anatomically aware of human sexuality, but I’m sure I might not be the most enjoyable experience you’ve had.”

Jakson just smiled and ran his fingers through her dark brown hair. “Rey, there’s nobody I’d rather be with right now than you, and that includes everyone I’ve known from before my exile here. I would love nothing more than to make love to you, regardless of your experience. I’m connecting with you, the person, no matter what happens tonight. Even if we’re inches from going all the way and you suddenly change your mind, I promise my feelings won’t be hurt. You’ve already given me more happiness than I ever thought I’d find on this forsaken planet.”

Rey smiled while stifling back her flood of tears, blown away at the kindness and understanding he was showing her. In that moment, all doubts disappeared from her mind; she had to have this man. She wanted nothing more than to give her virginity to him. Reaching behind her head for the strips of cloth holding together her signature hair buns, she untied them one-by-one. As she discarded the ties on the floor, she ran her hands through her dark brown hair to smooth it out, eliciting a look of lust in Jakson's eyes.

“Y-you should, um, let your hair down more often,” he choked out.

She said nothing in reply, but rather threw her arms around his neck and planted a firm kiss on his lips. Jakson reciprocated in kind, running his hands down to the small of her back, feeling the rise and fall of her breathing. Rey began feverishly grinding against him, her underwear becoming soaked from her pussy juices. Jakson intensified these feelings by beginning to fondle her breasts and ass.

“Take me… to my bed,” she managed to gasp in-between kisses.

Jakson needed no further prodding. Gripping her ass firmly, he stood and wrapped her legs around his waist, never separating his lips from hers. As he deposited her on her small, single bed, Rey immediately kicked her boots and socks off. Jakson, meanwhile, unbuckled the belt of her wrap, sliding it off her shoulders to expose a simple tunic. Rey showed no signs of regret or hesitation, yet was still nervous at being disrobed. He decided he should begin undressing himself to ease her mind a bit. She studied him as he pulled his shirt over his head, smiling as he revealed his chiseled chest and abs. After kicking off his boots, Jakson reached for the buckle of his belt and winked at Rey.

“Ready for the big reveal?”

Rey nodded in reply, her eyes wide with lust and anticipation. Jakson then unclasped his belt, sliding his pants and underwear down in one swift motion. His throbbing seven-inch cock now stood out proudly at full attention. Rey was, once more, terrified and excited at the same time. She now wanted him more than ever, but began to worry about his size. Would she be able to handle him? Sighing mentally, she decided she’d have to figure that out as they went, as she sure as hell wasn’t stopping now.

“Why don’t you lie down,” she offered. “Easier for me to, er, even things up.”

“Anything you want, Rey.”

Jakson reclined back on her small bed, smiling as he watched Rey stand and fidget with her clothes. First went her brown shin-length pants, revealing a simple pair of white panties as they fell to the floor. She slipped the wraps off of her arms before peeling her tunic up and over her head, exposing her small, perky breasts at long last. Finally, with shaking hands, she slipped her fingers into the waist of her panties, sliding them down and kicking them away. She instinctively covered her crotch and one of her breasts with her hands, but this only served to make her even sexier in Jakson’s mind.

“I’m… I’m sorry if I’m not the most beautiful woman you’ve ever been with-”

“Don’t be. You are,” Jakson interrupted, sitting up on the edge of the bed. “Everything about you, your strength, your brain, your kindness, and yes, even your body, is nothing short of breathtaking.”

Smiling, she gently pushed him onto his back and slid into the bed next to him, planting a deep kiss on his lips. Though her bed was downright tiny, neither occupant cared a bit. Rey soon adjusted her body to be lying on top of Jakson, his cock wedged against her stomach. Coming up on her knees, she began to examine it, and was a bit surprised at the spongy texture in spite of its extreme hardness. As she stroked him, Jakson slipped his hand between her legs, feeling her soaked pussy lips. Though she had covered herself quickly a few moments before, he thought he caught a glimpse of a completely hairless mound.

“Well, well… someone has a little secret down there,” he chuckled, feeling her bare pussy.

Rey was in such ecstasy she could hardly reply. “I… it’s mainly to… help with the… heeeeeeeat,” she groaned as his fingers teased her womanhood.

“Well, whatever the reason, I like.”

“I’m glad,” she said. “Um, I’m not completely sure the best way to go about this.”

“I suggest you on top,” Jakson replied. “It will probably hurt at first, so go as slow as you need to. You felt pretty wet, so I don’t think lubrication is going to be a problem.”

“Ok. Here goes.”

While Jakson held his cock straight up, Rey carefully positioned herself at his tip, rubbing it against her outer lips a few times. Her eyes widened at the new sensation; she liked that quite a lot. Hell, she might have been satisfied with just that, had this man not called her the most beautiful woman he’d ever known a few minutes earlier. She now pressed the head of his cock against her entrance, feeling a significant twinge of pain.

“Unh…”

“You ok?” Jakson asked.

“Yeah, just… give me a moment.”

Deciding she just wanted to get it over with, Rey pushed herself down onto his cock, feeling her virginity rip as he entered her. A few drops of blood dribbled out of her entrance, but the pain soon began to dwindle.

“How you doin’, Rey?”

“B-better… oh so much better.”

“I’m glad… holy fuck, you feel so amazing.”

“Really?” she asked with a naughty grin. “I wonder how it’ll feel when you’re _completely_ inside me.”

“Only one way to find out, I guess.”

“Agreed.”

Bracing her hands on Jakson’s chest, Rey continued her journey southward, occasionally pulling up to spread her juices. After around fifteen seconds, she had taken every inch of his cock, feeling his tip press against the back wall of her pussy. The sensations were incredible; she felt so full, and never wanted him to exit her body. Sitting up straight, she began to grind her hips on his cock, her passion increasing with every slight movement she made. Jakson, not content as merely a spectator, reached up for her perky breasts, squeezing them together and tweaking her nipples. This produced exactly the reaction he desired, as Rey’s tempo began to increase, her grind shifting into a full-on bouncing motion.

“Oh, god… this is just… incredible,” she panted.

“Shit… Rey, you’re amazing…”

The tendrils of her hair fell around her face as Rey leaned down, kissing Jakson passionately while cradling his face in her hands. As she did so, he began thrusting his hips upward, surprising her with how deep he had managed to go. Their feverish pace continued to increase, the bed creaking back and forth with every movement they made. As hard as Jakson tried to last, the fact that it had been over six months since he last made love to a woman was beginning to rear its ugly head. 

“Rey, I’m… not gonna… last much longer,” he gasped.

“Quite… alright. Go ahead, give it to me, please!”

“You sure?”

“Positive,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

Rey pounded his cock with intensity, her breasts jiggling inches from his face. Her tight pussy squeezed him for all he was worth, edging him closer and closer to his climax by the second. Jakson was in complete bliss; Rey’s pussy was easily the tightest he had ever experienced, and moreover, she had chosen him to make her a woman! This thought, combined with the look of lust in her eyes, finally sent him past the point of no return. His muscles tightened, he gripped her slim waist with his hands, and finally pounded his last into Rey.

“Fuck… shit… holy holy HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIT!” Jakson cried, spraying his cum into Rey’s awaiting pussy.

“Oh god, that’s hot,” Rey marveled, drinking in his expressions. She slowed her pace to a crawl, still feeling his throbbing cock spurt the last of its payload into her. “You, my friend, are something else.”

“You’re… not so bad… yourself…”

Smiling, Rey slipped off of Jakson’s flaccid cock, lying next to him with her head on his chest. She gave a contented sigh, kissing his neck sweetly as she cuddled up next to him. Jakson ran his fingers along her back softly, savoring the feeling of her soft skin glistening with sweat from their feverish romp.

“Sorry I… wasn’t able to last longer,” Jakson whispered.

“Shh, Jak you have nothing to be sorry for. That was wonderful,” Rey replied, silencing him with a kiss.

“You mean it? That was good for you?” he asked as they parted.

“Best night of my life,” she said with a giggle.

As Jakson wrapped her in his arms, the pair felt the inescapable call of sleep overtaking them. Before finally passing out, he managed to whisper, “Hopefully many more to come…”


	2. Chapter 2

Rey awoke first the next morning, still snuggled in Jakson’s arms. As she began to regain consciousness, a huge grin spread across her face as she began to remember the events of last night. This man, one of the only truly kind souls she had ever met in her life, had deflowered her in the most wonderful way imaginable. She had been nervous as hell the whole time, but he was nothing short of patient, reassuring her of her beauty every time she began to doubt herself. It was all beyond her wildest dreams.

Kissing his chest, Rey whispered, “Good morning, Jak.”

Jakson stirred, rubbing his eyes awake with his free hand. Finally opening them, he seemed a bit surprised to find a nude Rey lying in his arms. “Wow… I didn’t dream that?”

“Only if I dreamed the exact same thing.” Glancing at her makeshift clock on the wall, Rey was startled awake. “Holy shit, did we oversleep!”

“Great sex’ll do that,” Jakson replied with a laugh.

“Well then, guess it wasn’t a _total_ waste of time.”

The pair rolled out of bed, gathering their clothes strewn about the floor and dressing themselves. As Rey tied her hair back up in her triple buns, Jakson broke a polystarch muffin in half and grabbed a couple of pieces of vegmeat, handing one of each to Rey.

“Breakfast of warriors.”

“Cheers,” Rey agreed, drinking a sip of water.

Sitting at the small table, Jakson’s expression began to turn rather serious. “Um, I know it’s pretty shitty of me to only just now think of this, but… what do we do if you get pregnant?”

Rey beamed, touched by his concern. “That’s so sweet of you, Jak. You show far more consideration than any pilot or trader would have. They'd have left in the middle of the night without even a second thought, I'd wager. But to your concern, I doubt there’s any risk. I am familiar with human biology, and I know that my cycle just ended three days ago. If I hadn’t known that, though, I’d have been far more careful last night. You and I both know what the Blobfish would do to you if that happened.”

“Fuck, you’re not kiddin’. Guess we outta be careful all around.”

“Agreed,” Rey said as she stood. “That starts with you going north of here for about a kilometer before you start your day. Nothing but sinking sands out there, nobody to see you and suspect anything.”

“Will do. Now then,” Jakson continued, pulling Rey onto his lap as she giggled, “when do I get to see you again, pretty lady?”

“Well, someone did promise me a game of holochess.”

“My place at sundown?”

“Sounds delightful,” Rey purred, kissing him for several long seconds.

*****

The rest of the day passed as if Jakku had fallen into a black hole. Rey was so excitable that she nearly tripped a few times while scavenging inside a Rebel troop transport. Jakson could hardly get any work done, spending much of the afternoon staring at the various parts scattered about his worktable. All the while, visions of Rey danced through his mind. Forcing himself to focus, he managed to be productive for around an hour and a half, until he finally saw that the day was beginning to end. After a quick trip to town for food, he raced back home for a shower and shave before Rey arrived. As the sun began to sink below the horizon in the distance, he finally spied a makeshift speeder heading his way. He exited out the back service hatch, the only operational entrance to the shuttle, and waved to Rey as she arrived.

“Took you long enough,” he shouted.

“No shit! This day took forever!” she replied, hopping off her speeder. “Have a tarp for my ride?”

“Better. Bring it around the side of the shuttle; I blew out the wall to one of the cargo bays and covered it up. Plenty of room in there for your ride and my bike.”

After storing Rey’s speeder, Jakson brought her into the shuttle proper, showing her the spacious living area. A decent sized table sat in the middle with a couple of chairs around it, as well as a few seating areas located around the edges of the room. Jakson could tell that she was impressed.

“Quite nice. Far more elegant than most Imperial ships I’ve seen,” she remarked.

“I should hope so. This was the primary transport for all the Empire’s highest-ranking officers. Vader and Palpatine themselves had their own personal shuttles even nicer than this one. You hungry?”

“Famished. It’s been a hell of a long day.”

Jakson stepped over to his food pantry and pulled out a couple of ration packets, solidifying the polystarch muffins and placing all the food on a pair of plates. Rey meanwhile poured a couple of glasses of cold water, setting them on the table.

“I tell ya, what I wouldn’t give for a prime cut of nerf steak,” Jakson mused.

“I’ve never had it, but I can’t imagine it being anything short of succulent,” Rey agreed.

“You have no idea…” After staring off into space at the mental image of such a luxurious meal, Jakson soon snapped back to reality. “So, uh, I don’t think I ever asked about your story, Rey. How’d you end up here?”

Rey grimaced before answering. “There’s… not that much to tell.”

Seeing the pain in her eyes, Jakson immediately said, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to bring up bad memories. You don’t have to tell me. Though, I hope you do know that I won’t judge you for anything you do feel up to telling me. That I can promise.”

Sighing, Rey nodded. “It was fifteen years ago. I was just five years old when my family left me here. I don’t know why. All I know is that they had to leave, and I couldn’t come with them. So, Unkarr Plutt took custody of me, trained me in the art of scavenging. But even though they left me here, I know my family will be back, one day.”

Though Jakson admired her strength and ability to hope, his heart broke for this poor girl. She had been through so much pain and suffering through no fault of her own, yet still managed to hold out hope that she would be able to escape one day. He wracked his brain for some way to help, but nothing came to him in those moments.

“So… I remember those scratches on the wall of your home. Are they?”

Rey nodded. “Yep. One for every day I’ve been here.”

Jakson reached across the table, brushing his hand against hers. “I’m so sorry.”

Rey shrugged, saying, “It can’t be helped. I can only do the best I can with the knowledge and resources I have available.”

“Have you ever thought about leaving? I mean, going out into the galaxy and looking for them?”

“To what point and purpose? I wouldn’t know where to begin. No, when they come back for me, I’ll be here waiting for them.”

Seeing her mind was set on this matter, Jakson immediately sought to turn the conversation to more positive thoughts. “Ok, time for my revenge on you, little lady.”

“Ooh, someone thinks they’re gonna whip my arse in holochess, eh?” Rey asked, her eyes immediately brightening.

“Nah, I’ll go easy on ya.”

“That’s your first mistake, lover.”

The pair adjourned to the seating area in the corner, a curved sofa surrounding Jakson’s holochess table. As the match began, both proceeded cautiously, each feeling out the other’s strategy. Rey struck first, taking out one of Jakson’s advancing soldiers. Jakson was quick to retaliate, managing to take two of her monsters down in a row before Rey could develop a defense. The match continued at those numbers for some time, until Rey finally managed to pin down two of Jakson’s monsters. Analyzing each of their positions, he decided to sacrifice the stronger one. The other would have a prime opening to attack in the coming turns. Jakson fell back into a defensive setup at that point, drawing Rey into a trap. As her numbers dwindled over the next few turns, she finally conceded defeat.

“Ok, I admit it. You’re damn good at this.”

“When one travels amongst the scum of the galaxy with the Irving Boys, one learns out of necessity to be able to game and gamble with the best of ‘em.”

Sliding around the couch to sit close to him, Rey flashed a mischievous grin. “Good thing we didn’t wager anything ourselves. I can’t imagine how you would take advantage of me if we had.”

“Wanna go double or nothin’?” Jakson fired back with a smile.

“Hah! You wish. I know damn well when I’m beat.”

“Smart girl,” Jakson mused.

“Smart enough not to kick you out last night.”

“Like I said.”

Drawing Rey closer to him, Jakson wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pecking her forehead with a soft kiss. Rey responded by laying her feet up on the sofa and resting her head on his shoulder, running her fingers through the back of his hair all the while. Yet all too soon, she began to feel friskier, and moved her hand towards his pants. A few gentile touches, and Jakson's cock began to harden.

“Someone knows what she wants,” Jakson teased her.

“You bet your gorgeous arse I do.”

Tilting her face upward, Rey planted a long kiss on Jakson’s lips, teasing his cock with her fingers the whole time. As they made out, Jakson decided he wanted more control this time around, especially seeing as he had yet to give Rey an orgasm of her own. Wrapping his arms around her torso, he flipped her to lie on her back on the sofa as he knelt over her. Rey yelped in surprise at the sudden change, and couldn’t suppress her giggle fit at his playful use of control. A quick kick of her legs, and she pushed the holochess table out of their way and removed her boots in the same motion. Her laughter began to turn to moans of pleasure as Jakson’s tongue returned to duel with hers. He soon broke their kiss, beginning to blaze a trail of soft, tiny kisses down her body, first on her cheek, then her jawline, then her neck, down to her exposed shoulder, and finally her midriff. Slipping his hands into her belt, he soon unbuckled it and opened her wrap. After several long seconds of teasing this area, he slid his fingers into the waistband of her pants, pulling them down and off her body. Now at eye level with her moist pussy, Jakson slowly kissed his way up her inner thigh towards his target.

“Wha… what are you doing, Jak?”

“Well, if you must know, Rey, I plan to eat your pussy and make you scream at the top of your lungs,” Jakson chuckled.

“Y-you don’t have to-”

“I want to. I want you to experience an orgasm, and I want it to be by my hand… or maybe my tongue.”

“But that’s completely unnechooooooooly shit!”

Rey felt a jolt of electricity pulse through her entire body as his tongue touched her womanhood. He began by tracing the outline of her lips, circling around from the top to the bottom before finally returning to the top. Jakson then spread her lips, gazing into her sweet pussy and inspecting her clit with his tongue. Rey’s hips began to buck, but he simply held her in place with his arms, allowing him to stay on target.

“Oh god… Jak, you’re… incredible…” Rey moaned.

Jakson said nothing, just smiling to himself as he continued his worshipping of her. He savored the tangy juices now flowing from her slit, feeling every little twitch of her magnificent body. Rey now held onto the sofa cushions in a death grip, trying to keep her hips still, and even wrapping her legs around Jakson’s head for stability. Finally deciding that she had been tortured enough, Jakson eased himself upward and focused all his attention on Rey’s swollen nub. Using an old trick he had learned from a particularly experienced bedmate of his in the past, he began to use his tongue to trace the Basic alphabet on her clit.

“H-H-HOLY FUCK, DON’T STOP!!!” Rey exclaimed in surprise.

Jakson kept up his oral assault, knowing she was close to exploding. As he reached the end of the alphabet, Rey had released the sofa from her grip, placing her hands on his head in a way that seemed to beg him to make her cum. With a huge grin, he took her clit in his mouth and sucked gently. The stream of expletives flowing from Rey’s mouth soon became nothing but unintelligible babbling. As her body tensed up as stiff as a board, Jakson finally sent her over the edge by blowing a jet of cool air onto her clit.

Rey unleashed a bloodcurdling scream of ecstasy, cumming long and hard and coating Jakson’s face with her juices. Every time she thought it had subsided, her body felt a spasm that sent her over the edge again and again. Finally, after almost a minute, she finally fell limp on the sofa, and the rise and fall of her chest slowed to a normal rate. Beaming with pride, Jakson sat next to her, admiring his handiwork.

“You… are something else… Jak…” Rey panted.

Moving to lie next to her on the sofa, Jakson whispered, “Don’t think I’m done with you yet. Not by a long shot.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Rey said with a smile, kissing his lips. “Huh… I don’t taste half bad,” she observed.

“No complaints here.” Sliding off the sofa to his feet, Jakson scooped Rey into his arms. “Thought you might want to get more comfortable.”

Arriving in his bedroom, Rey was surprised to find that his bed was quite large, big enough for two people. Jakson deposited a half-naked Rey on the bed and began to remove his own clothes. As he disrobed, Rey looked on with lust in her eyes and finished removing her belt, wrap, and tunic. Soon, both were completely nude, and Jakson joined her under the soft sheets. They kissed for several long minutes, Jakson allowing Rey to take the lead, as she was still likely recovering from her earth-shattering orgasm. Soon, she felt her passions bubble up within her once more, pushing Jakson onto his back and pinning him with her body weight.

“Um, would it be ok if I… repay the favor?” she asked.

Smiling, Jakson replied, “I’d enjoy that thoroughly. But don’t feel that you have to; there’s no quid-pro-quo here, Rey.”

Rey said nothing more as she began to work her way down his body, kissing his neck and chest for quite some time. Her light touch was perfect for Jakson; everything this girl did drove him crazy. The fact that she had kept her hair tied back was quite an erotic sight, especially considering what she was about to do. Finally, Rey arrived at his pelvic region, and began stroking his cock as she inspected it. She was a bit intimidated by its size, but not enough to prevent her from diving in headfirst.

She began by licking his length from top to bottom. Rey found that she immediately liked how hard he was, knowing that she was the one causing such reactions. After reaching his tip, she continued licking him as if he was a piece of candy, wetting every angle of his engorged member. As Jakson’s breathing and moaning became more obvious, Rey took him in her hand and held him straight up. 

“Please let me know if there’s anything I need to do… or not do,” she said.

“Just avoid the teeth, but other than that, it can take a significant amount of stimulation without it being hurt.”

Jakson’s eyes widened as Rey began to take him in her mouth. She started slowly, sucking only about two or three inches of him, but soon became bolder, engulfing about five inches of his total length. At first, she only sucked on him, looking up into his eyes for confirmation that she was indeed doing things well. Jakson grinned right back at her, nodding in affirmation. After several minutes of this, he suggested a change of pace for her.

“Try swirling your tongue as you suck,” he whispered.

“Mmmm,” Rey moaned with excitement.

Continuing her sucking, she began to swirl her tongue as he suggested, applying copious amounts of pressure as she did so. Jakson had the bed sheets in a tight grip, working to stave off his orgasm as best he could. After all, he didn’t want to surprise the poor girl and scare her off from doing this again. Rey was completely engrossed in his cock, gazing at the object of her desire as she pleasured him. Soon, Jakson tapped her forehead, signaling he wanted a break.

“Everything alright?” Rey asked.

“Fantastic. But I want more than just your mouth,” Jakson replied with a grin.

Lying next to him, Rey untied her hair buns and kissed him again, whispering as they parted, “I’m yours.”

Jakson flipped her onto her back, pinning her down with a passionate kiss. Rey moaned and squirmed under him, turned on by his sudden exercise of dominance. The pair maintained their lip-lock as Jakson moved his saliva-coated cock into position. He at first only teased her entrance, but Rey was having none of it, reaching down and gripping his cock to guide him into her beckoning tunnel.

“See? _This_ is where you belong, Jak.”

“Oh fuck…”

Jakson began thrusting at a methodical pace, feeling every inch of her tight little pussy wrapped around him. Rey was in complete bliss, and who could blame her? She had just lost her virginity the night before, and now the man that had deflowered her was showing her everything the world of lovemaking had to offer her. As he continued fucking her, Rey cradled Jakson’s face in her hands, never once allowing her gaze to leave his.

Soon, his thrusting became more labored and frenzied as their passions increased. Coming up on his knees, Jakson stretched one of Rey’s legs out straight, resting it on his shoulder. Her eyes bulged at the new sensations this angle created, already feeling another orgasm building within her. He must have sensed this, as he reached down with his other hand and began rubbing her clit with his thumb, jacking her off as he fucked her.

“Fuck, fuckfuckfuck…” Rey gasped. “You’re… evil…”

“Why? Because I want to feel you cum on my cock? Well, if that makes me evil… guilty as charged,” Jakson replied with a wicked smile.

“Just… don’t stop… whatever… you doOOOOOOH HOLY SHIT!”

“There it is!” Jakson shouted with pride.

Rey had completely lost control of herself. The combined sensations of his cock and his hand seemed to collide into a single bolt of lightning coursing through her body. She came faster than she ever expected, her juices leaking out around Jakson’s cock and dripping onto the bed sheets. And yet, as much as her pussy was trying to force him to cum, he was still not done with her.

“I like… this… position…” Rey panted as she finally came back down from her high.

“Ditto. Wanna try another one?”

“What do you have in mind?” she asked in anticipation.

“On your knees, from behind.”

Rey grinned at his naughty suggestion and carefully slid off his cock, turning over and coming up on her hands and knees.

“Like this?”

“Almost. Stick your ass up higher and arch your back downward; coming down onto your elbows might help with that.”

“So… like this?”

“Perfect,” Jakson beamed, gazing upon her gorgeous backside. Rey’s ass was tiny and well toned, as was befitting her athletic body. Yet it still had just enough meat to jiggle when she stuck it out like this.

“Jak… you gonna stare all night, or you gonna do what you promised?” Rey pleaded.

“Just taking it all in, dear,” Jakson shot back.

Jakson moved himself into position, aligning his rock-hard cock with her dripping slit, and pushed into her. He felt his eyes bulge at the sensations of this new angle. Rey’s pussy was rather tight, being that she was a virgin until yesterday, but she felt even more so from behind. Hearing her gasp and seeing her body twitch at the reintroduction of his cock only heightened the eroticism of the experience. Slowly burying himself within her, Jakson finally sheathed his full length inside her, pausing for a moment to allow her to adjust.

“I’ll go slow,” he reassured her.

“T-thank you…”

Tempted as Jakson was to grab hold of her slim waist and pile-drive this gorgeous girl, he managed to restrain himself. He knew damn well how appreciative she would be of a long buildup to another orgasm. His motions were smooth and methodical, and he adjusted his angle as he went to explore every inch of her pussy. These adjustments turned into Rey’s favorite part, as he was able to hit many of her pleasure zones in the process. Soon, Rey could once more feel her desire for more begin to well up within her.

“A little harder please,” she whispered.

“If you insist,” he replied with a grin.

Jakson made his thrusting to be about the same speed, but now more forceful, placing his hands on Rey’s ass cheeks for stability. Her moans of pleasure increased in reply to this, as well as from the highly erotic feeling of giving complete control over to him. He could do anything he wanted to Rey at this point, yet she trusted that his concerns were for her pleasure and enjoyment. As she grew wetter, Rey began to push herself back against him, aiding in his thrusting and continuing to hit her most sensitive spots.

“Faster?” Jakson asked, picking up on what she was doing.

Rey could only nod vigorously in reply, as she was edging closer to her third orgasm. With a huge smile, Jakson took hold of her waist and held her still, pounding her pussy at a feverish pace. Her squirming increased with every movement he made, and he was fast approaching his own big finish. Moving his arms around to Rey’s flat stomach, he guided her to prop herself up on her hands, cradling her torso against him.

“You close, Rey?”

“Yes… yes, just a… bit… more…”

Jakson took great pleasure in fondling her perky breasts, pushing through the cramps in his legs and thrusting into her full force. Feeling his excitement starting to overwhelm him, he began kissing his way up her back in an attempt to drive her over the edge once more before he exploded.

“Holy shit… that’s… hot…” Rey moaned in pleasure. “If you keep… that… up…”

“You’ll cum?” Jakson replied huskily. “That’s the idea. Cum for me, Rey. I want you to. I love feeling your pussy latch onto my cock. You know you want it. You know you need it. Do it. Cum all over my cock.”

“Oh, god… holy SHIT! YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!”

“Yes, yes, yes, YES! HOLY FUCK! REYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!”

At last, the two lovers climaxed simultaneously, their screams of ecstasy echoing through the tiny room. As they panted and recovered from the experience, they caressed each other, causing a series of aftershocks that prolonged their orgasms. All the while, Rey remained impaled on Jakson’s cock, wiggling her ass every so often to tease him all over again. Finally, they collapsed onto the bed with Rey spooned in Jakson’s arms.

“We should… probably set a timer of some sort,” Rey purred. “Can’t afford to oversleep tomorrow.”

“Aww, why not?” Jakson whined with a grin. “Got big plans or something?”

“Something like that,” Rey giggled. “Unkar Plutt is going to be working on that freighter you brought him tomorrow and asked for my help. Lord knows the old Blobfish will need it.”

“True. Alright then, I’ll set an alarm for 0600 standard time. That work?” Jakson replied, reaching over to his nightstand.

“Sounds perfect. Now get back over here and get your arms around me, or I swear I’ll put my clothes back on.”

“Ok, ok! No need to resort to drastic measures!” Jakson said with a laugh.

Cuddling back up with Rey, Jakson touched the panel on the wall above his bed to dim the lights. Pulling the covers over them, he planted a few soft kisses on her neck as he began to fade in and out of consciousness.

“Night, Rey…” Jakson whispered.

“Night, Jak,” Rey agreed with a contented sigh.

*****

“I’m beginning to wonder if this trade was even worth it…” Unkar Plutt grumbled.

“You don’t think she can be saved?” Rey asked from the engine area.

“It's possible, but I doubt I’d break even in the process. Might be better just to scrap it for parts.”

“Maybe so, but… wait, hold on! Got something here!”

“What did you find?” Plutt asked, peering down through the hole in the floor.

“This ship’s been modified in several areas, as we’ve seen, but I just discovered the crown jewel. The standard hyperdrive has been replaced with an SSP05!”

“Noted, but hardly groundbreaking. The SSP05 is reliable, yes, but is still only a class 1 hyperdrive unit.”

“Not this one,” Rey replied, sticking her head up with a huge grin. “This isn’t a standard SSP05; it’s a modified Vandangante style, able to hit 0.5 past light speed. That’s twice as fast as most Rebellion and Imperial warships in their heyday!”

“Just as he said…” Plutt mused. “That settles it. If I can get this piece of garbage working again, I’d easily make my money back, and then some.”

Pulling herself out of the engine hold and back onto the main deck, Rey asked, “So, what’s the name of this ship anyway?”

“No idea. A previous owner completely wiped the ship’s logs. No record of where it’s been or what it’s seen. The only identifying marking is the designation YT-1300 492727ZED.”

“Interesting. Perhaps this ship was used in the Galactic Civil War? Maybe its logs were wiped to protect a turncoat or a spy?”

“Numerous scenarios exist, each as plausible as the last. Ultimately, my only concern is repairing it enough to be able to sell it. That’s it.”

“Alright, where do we start?”

“Let’s check the cockpit,” Plutt replied, sauntering down the hallway towards the helm.

Following after him, Rey couldn’t help but let her mind wander a bit. She couldn’t stop thinking about Jakson. His strong arms, playful disposition, and sweet kisses, he was like no one she had ever met before. Every moment she spent with him made her happier than she ever thought she could be in her life.

“Oh!” Rey gasped, tripping on the doorframe to the cockpit. Her arm shot out, catching herself before she face-planted to the floor of the ship.

“You alright, girl?” Plutt asked from the pilot’s chair.

Rey replied, “Fine. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I’ve noticed over the last day or two that you seem… distracted.”

“Do my ears deceive me? Unkar Plutt showing _concern_ for another living being?!”

“Don’t flatter yourself, girl. You’re merely my most reliable source of usable parts.”

“Well I can assure you, I am not distracted. This is Jakku. There’s nothing here _to_ distract me!”

Pausing a few moments, Plutt replied, “Good. So I shouldn’t be concerned about why your speeder was nowhere to be found at your home this morning.”

_Shit! What was he doing at my home?!_

Thinking better of it, Rey didn’t acknowledge or deny his statement, asking, “When did you come by?”

“My men did, around 0600 standard time. You appeared to not be home, but they did not approach. You’re notorious for your security traps, after all.”

“They must have just missed me. I got an early start this morning, did a bit of scavenging before it got hot. I figured I’d be here most of the day.”

Plutt now turned in his chair to face Rey. “Do not mistake me for a fool, girl. I also got an anonymous tip about a visitor to your home the night before last, said a speeder bike was riding in your direction.”

“If you have something to say, I suggest you just say it,” Rey fired back, her defiance growing.

“What I have to say is that _you_ of all scavengers know my rules in Niima Outpost!” Plutt roared. “Each resident knows to stay away from my best source of income. Why, then, would you be having a late-night visitor?”

The game was up. Plutt knew something was going on, and there was no use playing coy anymore. “Because, frankly, what I do and who I associate with in my spare time is not your concern. I work for you, but you do _not_ own me. In fact, you _need_ me. As you yourself said, I am your best source of income.”

“None are indispensable,” Plutt growled back.

“Perhaps not, but you might be well served to allow your best worker to be happy and content in her private life. She would then be more likely to work harder for you during the day. I understand your anxiety for your income; it is a reasonable concern. However, you know damn well how capable of defending myself I am. Thus, one can only assume that if I do strike up a friendship with someone, it is of my own choosing. That’s all you need to know about that.”

Unkar Plutt studied her face with intent for several long minutes. He saw the defiance in her eyes, and knew there was no changing her mind on this. Finally, he whispered, “Just make sure your productivity does not wane. For if it does, your new ‘friend’ had better watch his back.”

“I think you know me better than that.”

Snorting, Plutt replied, “Fine then, sit here and look at these diagnostics from the ship’s hyperdrive. It’s powerful, yes, but in quite rough shape.”

Studying the screen Rey asked, “Has this thing ever been maintained? I mean look at this. The energy is fluctuating in the motivator like crazy, that can only mean the power core would surge if the ship were taken into outer space. In its current state, I’d wager this would trigger a chain reaction leading to a fuel leak and poisonous gas flooding the ship.”

“Hmm, it appears you may be right. I have just the part that just might fix the problem: a compressor. Place that on the ignition line, and that should solve it, I’d wager.”

Rey was about to point out that this was a cheap shortcut with no guarantee of lasting success. Their conversation a moment ago convinced her to bite her tongue in that moment. “I can get that for you. Where is it?”

“Go to my concession stand, ask my men for the compressor located on my workbench. They’ll know the one you mean.”

Rey nodded and exited the ship, heading back towards town. Alone at last with the ship, Plutt admired the controls at the helm, quite pleased at his acquisition.

“Soon, my friend. Soon, you'll travel the galaxy once more. You are now mine… my _Millennium Falcon_ …”

*****

As Jakson waited at home, his stomach grumbling from hunger, he began to get worried about Rey. It was well after dark, yet she still hadn’t shown up as she had said she would. Finally deciding he had waited long enough, he prepared a ration packet, devouring it in record time. As he finished, he heard the sound of a vehicle approaching the rear entrance of his shuttle. Not chancing an ambush, Jakson drew his Bryar pistol and cracked the door open, peering out into the night air.

“Jak, it’s me,” he heard a voice say.

“Rey! About time!”

Swinging the door open, he welcomed her with open arms, scooping her up in a tight hug. She seemed rather tepid, barely returning his affections. He could sense her hesitation and returned her to her feet, looking into her soft, hazel eyes.

“I was getting worried. Everything ok?”

“Um… I’m not sure,” she replied, biting her lip. “Can we go inside?”

“Of course.”

Back in his living quarters, Rey relaxed on a sofa, sighing from her long, weary day. Jakson kept his distance for the moment, pouring a couple of glasses of water for them. After handing one to Rey, he sat next to her in awkward silence for a few minutes, allowing her to make the first move.

“He knows,” she finally said.

“Who knows?”

“The Blobfish. He knows,” Rey explained.

Jakson was stunned to near silence. “H-how? How does he think he knows?”

“His men walked by my place this morning, noticed I wasn’t there. Someone also spotted you traveling in my direction the night before last and tipped him off.”

“And… how did you respond?”

“Started off by trying to play it cool. Said his men had just missed me, that I had gotten an early start. He didn’t buy it. Started lecturing me about the rules of Niima Outpost. So I reminded him that he needs me, as I am his best source of income, to use his words.”

“Did that work?”

“Somewhat,” Rey replied. “I don’t think he’ll do anything yet, but he did say I had best not let my productivity drop. If it does… he’ll come after you.”

“I’m not afraid of him, Rey.”

“Don’t underestimate his influence in this town. He owns all the muscle this region has to offer. In all honesty… it may be best to… end this.”

Studying her face, Jakson asked, “Is that what you really want?”

“No!” Rey exclaimed. “But, if something were to happen to you… I could never forgive myself.”

Jakson wrapped her in a tight hug, running his fingers through her brown hair. “Rey, I can’t make you stay. You know that. But I’m here with you right now because I want to be. You make me happy, Rey, happier than I’ve been in years, and I’ll do anything it takes to keep from losing you. If that means helping you scavenge, repair parts for you, whatever it takes, I’m in.”

A tear began to roll down Rey’s cheek at his reply. None of this made any sense to her. Why would anyone go to such lengths… just for _her_? As she pondered this over and over, she peered deep into Jakson’s eyes, searching for answers.

“Why? I don’t understand?”

Seeing her desperate expression, Jakson knew there was no going back. He didn’t want to scare her away, but knew he was in danger of losing her nonetheless in that moment. He had to lay everything on the table. After several long seconds, he found the courage to speak.

“Because… I love you, Rey.”

He had said it. She had heard him say it, yet Rey still couldn’t fathom it. She stood in stunned silence, a look of disbelief on her face.

“I’ve… I’ve fallen for you, Rey. Hard,” Jakson continued. “You were abandoned on this planet by your family, and nobody would have blamed you if you allowed this wasteland to bring out the worst in you. But you… you managed to use it to bring out the best in you. Rey, you built yourself up into one of the strongest, most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. You kick ass, you can fly with the best of ‘em, and you can even repair things as well as I can! Rey, you’re exactly the kind of woman I’ve always dreamed of meeting. Now that I’ve found you, I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you. I mean if that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”

Rey had begun crying once more, but now cried tears of joy and happiness at his admissions. Still, as touched as she was by his true feelings, and as much as she desired to reciprocate, doubts lingered in her mind. She was always guarded and cautious in the interest of self-preservation, but this was different. After all, this man had taken her virginity two nights ago and was now professing his love for her. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to say it back, despite feeling the same way. Choking back her tears, she finally heaved out a few words.

“I… want to be with you too, Jak. I’m just… not ready to say what… what you just said to me, and… I need you to be ok with that.”

Jakson gave a sweet kiss to her forehead. “Take as long as you need. I’m patient, and you’re worth it.”

“Alright then,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Now, what do we do about the Blobfish?”

“I think the answer’s obvious,” Jakson replied. “I won’t let him control my entire life, so we just need to be sure your productivity stays at least at the level it’s currently at. My suggestion would be some sort of tag team system to maximize both the amount of spare parts we find and their value to Plutt. Now, I’ve learned a lot as a scavenger in my time on Jakku, but you’re far better at finding spare parts than I am. That’s why I propose a complete split to the work. You focus on finding usable parts out in the Graveyard of Giants while I focus on cleaning and repairing all the parts both of us have collected. What do you think?”

Thinking a few moments, Rey finally replied, “It could work. And if I’m always the one to deliver the parts to Plutt, that can only play in my favor in regards to being his most reliable source of income. It won’t be easy, perhaps quite monotonous in all honesty, but I bet the Blobfish would leave us alone.”

“Then it’s worth it,” Jakson said with a smile.

“Alright then. I’m in.” Seeing how late it had become, Rey asked, “Wanna hit the sheets? Been a damn long day…”

“Sounds perfect to me,” Jakson replied. Wrapped in each other’s arms, the couple passed out the moment their heads hit their pillows.


	3. Chapter 3

For the next few weeks, Rey and Jakson worked to put their plan into action. Rey scavenged for parts and Jakson devoted all his time to cleaning and repairing those parts. It took a few days to find a steady rhythm, but they soon had managed to build up quite an impressive supply of parts. The number of parts Rey brought to Plutt daily had increased as well, primarily because she was now scavenging for two. Unkar Plutt didn’t mind one bit, as he could see a marked increase in the number and usefulness of the parts he purchased from Rey. As such, he left Rey and Jakson alone for the most part, which was just fine with them. Yet despite this small victory, the couple decided not to push their luck, and refrained from being seen in public as much as possible. All things considered, life on Jakku had never been better…

*****

“Almost… there…” Jakson grunted.

“Unh… holy fuck, don’t stop, Jak,” Rey moaned.

The couple had been making love for hours that evening, as it was the first night after Rey’s cycle. This allowed the couple to have as much sex as they wanted without fear of her becoming pregnant. When she had arrived home that evening, Rey practically threw herself at Jakson, riding him right there on the floor of his kitchen. After their first orgasms, the couple took a short break to devour some food, but was soon at it again. Though they had started on the sofa for about an hour, they soon decided to transition to the bedroom. Now late into the night, Jakson’s body was starting to tire from his many orgasms and the vigorous nature of their lovemaking. Still, as he stood at the edge of his bed, he found the strength to push through for one last glorious climax.

“Shit… shit… yes, yes, YES! OH REYYYYYYYY!”

“AHHHHHHHHHH! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!”

Breathless, the pair erupted in a giggle-fit due to the sheer amount of time they had wasted away that night. Jakson moved to lie down beside her, stroking her soft hair and kissing her forehead. Rey responded with a few sweet kisses of her own, moving from his knuckles to his shoulder and neck. Finally, she pressed her lips to his in a long, passionate embrace. As they parted, she gazed deep into his blue eyes, beginning to feel more courage than she had ever felt before. It was time. She knew she wanted to say it.

“Jak… I… I lo-”

“Shh! You hear that?” he cut her off.

“What?” she asked, alarmed by his mannerisms.

“Outside. It sounded like… a swoop bike.”

“Let’s check the cameras.”

Jakson grinned as they moved over to his main computer, now outfitted with a security system, courtesy of Rey. She had managed to hotwire a few cameras and had connected them to his ship, allowing them to keep an eye out for approaching trouble. As Rey powered on the cameras, Jakson slipped on some clothes and holstered his blaster at his side.

“Got something. A pair of swoop riders out back,” Rey said.

Approaching the screen, Jakson’s heart sunk. “Shit… it’s the Irving Boys.”

“Your former partners?”

“The same. But how the hell did they find me?!”

“Who says they found you? They could be here for any number of reasons,” Rey tried to argue.

As soon as she finished speaking, a loud thump came at the rear door of the ship. “Jakson! We know you’re in there!”

“You were saying?” Jakson mused to Rey. “Stay here in the bedroom, out of sight. I’ll handle this.”

“No! I’m going with you! There’s two of us and two of them!”

“Yeah, but unless you own a blaster you’ve never told me about, you won’t stand a chance. Stay here. Once I’ve got them distracted, get to your speeder and get out of here.”

Looking him square in the eyes with a stern expression, she told him, “I’ll not leave you behind.”

“I’ll be fine. Trust me,” Jakson replied with a wink.

As Rey dressed herself and retied her hair back into her signature buns, Jakson climbed the ladder to the top hatch. He cracked it open before crawling silently along the top of the shuttle and peering over the edge. With his blaster in hand, he soon spied his former partners below.

_There they are… Toursant and Vanver Irving._

The human twin brothers were each over six feet tall, and armed to the teeth besides. They had tanned white skin that was further darkened by the dirt and dust they accumulated. Their faces were obscured a bit by thick, dark brown stubble. Toursant carried a DH-17, capable of rapid-firing any foe into submission. Vanver, on the other hand, preferred to blow his enemies away with his modified CA-87 shotgun blaster.

“Maybe he ain’t here,” Toursant wondered.

“Naw, he’s here. Ya hear me, Jakson!? Get out here!” Vanver replied.

As they waited for a response, Toursant glanced around, catching a glimpse of Jakson on top of the shuttle. “Look! Up there!”

“Drop your weapons,” Jakson commanded, aiming his Bryar pistol at the pair. They did not, but his vantage point did cause them to hesitate.

“No way out, Jakson. You’re outgunned,” Vanver replied.

“Maybe, but you both know as well as I do that I’m sure to kill one of you if this comes down to a firefight. The only question is… which one of you would survive?”

The brothers looked uneasy at this prospect; neither was certain that they wouldn’t be the one Jakson targeted.

“How’d you find me?” Jakson asked, taking advantage of their hesitation to buy Rey some more time.

“You really think we wouldn’t install a tracking beacon on board a ship like the one you stole?” Vanver answered.

“I deactivated it.”

“Yeah, but we had an override switch,” Toursant said. “Took some doing, but we finally managed to reactivate it and find ya here. Once we’re done with you, we’re takin’ our ship back!”

“And believe me, we ain’t here to take prisoners. You’ve cost us a hell of a lot of money, Jakson. But if we kill you ourselves, we don’t gotta lose any more of it to pay off your bounty,” Vanver agreed. “Ya shoulda just done your job.”

“No way in hell was I doing _that_.”

“We paid you good money to transport our cargo!” Vanver roared.

“Twi’lek girls are people, not cargo!!!” Jakson screamed, his anger exploding from within him. “I signed up to be a smuggler. I never signed up to be a slaver. I made that perfectly clear when you first hired me.”

“Whatever helps ya sleep at night. Just remember… they’re all dead because of you, not us.”

“That’s a load of shit, and you know it.”

“Then it seems we’ve reached an impasse,” Toursant sighed.

“Guess so…”

As the trio continued their tense standoff, Jakson’s ears perked up at hearing the cargo bay door opening. He knew that Rey was powering up her speeder. The brothers looked at each other in confusion for a moment, allowing Jakson just the opportunity he needed. Taking careful aim, he fired two shots in quick succession towards the brothers’ swoop bikes, disabling both of them. They returned fire, but Jakson had already scampered to the side of the shuttle and jumped down onto Rey’s speeder with her.

“Don’t let ‘em get away!” Vanver yelled. Firing off a pair of shots from his shotgun blaster, he struck the wing of the shuttle, causing several fragments to break off and fall to the ground.

“Heads up!” Rey warned. She tried to swerve as best she could, but Jakson was still hit in the head by the falling debris. He managed to hang on, but soon fell completely unconscious from the blow.

“Hang on, Jak. Just hang on…” Rey pleaded, racing off into the desert.

*****

_Six months earlier_

“An excellent ship, Jakson. She’ll do the job well.”

“She’s never failed me yet, Vanver.”

Jakson prepared to begin his transport mission with his YT-2400 light freighter, the _Longshot_. The life of a smuggler was always exciting, and he had seen some incredible sights in his travels through the galaxy.

“Are we ready?” Vanver called out.

“Yep. Cargo’s loaded on board,” Toursant replied.

“Already?” Jakson asked in surprise.

“Provides an added level of protection for you. You haven’t seen the cargo, giving you plausible deniability,” Vanver explained.

“Alright then, I’m off. Running late as it is…”

“Good luck, Jakson. And don’t worry; we’ll be following right behind you.”

Entering the ship’s cockpit, the copilot, a repair droid designated LE-MA5T3,  
welcomed Jakson.

“Leema, we ready to take off?”

“Yes, sir,” she replied. “The fuel tank is full, and our flight path has been charted, extending approximately sixteen parsecs.”

“Very good. Let’s get underway.”

The thrusters roared, the engine hummed, and soon the Longshot had exited the planet’s atmosphere. A short time later, hyperspace had been achieved. All the while, the Irving Boys followed behind Jakson, ready to provide backup should the need arise. Some time later, Jakson picked up an odd reading on his charts.

“Huh… Leema, you see this? Looks like we have an unexpected meteor shower coming up shortly.”

“Indeed. It would be wise for us to exit hyperspace as we approach it to navigate it safely.”

“Agreed. I’ll inform my partners.” Hitting the comlink, Jakson radioed over to the Irving Boys’ ship. “We’ll be needing to exit hyperspace in a moment; got an unanticipated meteor shower up ahead.”

 _“Understood. We’ll do the same,”_ came Toursant’s reply.

“Roger that. _Longshot_ out.” Taking a firm handle on the ship’s controls, Jakson prepared to make the necessary adjustments. “Alright, here we go… now!”

Flipping the switch, Jakson cut to the ship’s sublightspeed engines. The Longshot lurched from the sudden change, throwing Jakson forward in his seat a bit. Still, he was a skilled pilot, and this seemed as nothing to him. As he relaxed, he could have sworn he heard cries of surprise, or perhaps fear, coming from the cargo area in back.

“Leema… did you hear that?”

“It sounded as if someone was screaming, sir.”

Standing, Jakson replied, “Take the helm. I’ll go check it out.”

Drawing his Bryar pistol, Jakson crept through the hallways of his ship, ready for the first sign of trouble. Reaching the secret entrance to the cargo hold, he punched in the security code and slid away a hidden wall panel. Pausing, he could hear whispers and murmurs from within the hold.

“Freeze!” he commanded, stepping into the doorway with his blaster drawn.

“Don’t shoot! Please!”

Blinking twice, Jakson was surprised to discover a group of fifteen beautiful Twi’lek women of varying colors. They were huddled around the edges of the room, their fear evident on their faces. One of them stood near him, her hands up in a nonthreatening manner.

“Who are you? How did you get onto my ship?” Jakson demanded.

“We… we were placed here by the Irving Boys,” their leader, a blue Twi’lek, said. “We are to be transported somewhere for work.”

Seeing the skimpy clothes the women wore, Jakson replied, “Work… or enslavement?”

“They are one in the same, as far as we are concerned.”

“Oh no… no, no, no, this cannot be happening…” Jakson grumbled.

“What is wrong, Captain?”

Sighing, he answered, “I was told I was to transport cargo, not people. Excuse me, I have to go call my partners…”

Arriving back in the cockpit, Jakson immediately reached for the comlink. “Toursant? Vanver?”

 _“Jakson? Everything ok?”_ Toursant replied.

“Deal’s off. I never signed up to be a slaver.”

_“Jakson, don’t be stupid. Put your ship back on course… or else.”_

“You’re a real pair of bastards, boys. I’d say it’s been a pleasure working with ya, but I’d be lying. Over and out.”

“Sir?” Leema asked.

“The cargo we’re transporting… is a group of Twi’lek slaves. I can’t do this… I can’t…”

“Sir, you are clearly in distress. Perhaps you should lie down.”

As he finished speaking, the ship was rocked by a near miss of blaster fire. “Belay that suggestion, Leema. Get us out of here, I’m going to man the guns!”

“Understood, sir.”

Sprinting to the gun well in the center of the ship, Jakson smiled to himself at his preparedness. A ship of this size would normally need two gunners, but Jakson had managed to modify the weapons systems to allow either operating chair to use both sets of laser cannons. Climbing the ladder to the top cannon, Jakson strapped himself in and activated the targeting systems.

“There they are,” he muttered, spotting the Irving Boys.

As they approached in their Allanar N3 light freighter, the _Fireball_ , Jakson adjusted the cannons and opened fire. The _Fireball_ retaliated almost simultaneously, peppering the _Longshot’s_ hull with blaster fire. After a few more volleys, the ship was rocked by a powerful hit.

“Leema, status report!”

_“We are hit, sir, but flying strong. The shields are still holding. They appear to be attempting to disable us, as they are not targeting vital areas despite ample opportunity to do so.”_

“They don’t wanna lose their ‘cargo,’ it seems… Well if they won’t go for the kill shot, I will!”

*****

“You managed to stop him yet?!” Toursant yelled.

“Tryin’ to! He’s fast, and fighting back!” Vanver replied.

“Just careful where you hit him! We’ve got a hell of a lot of product on that ship, and we can’t afford to lose it!”

Vanver continued to fire in short, controlled bursts, peppering the non-vital areas of the _Longshot_ with laser fire. He soon scored a hit, rocking the ship and throwing it off course a bit. Jakson recovered, retaliating with several volleys of blaster fire and concussion missiles.

“Shit! He’s firing missiles at us!”

“On it!”

Vanver fired the cannons with precision at one of the missles, destroying it. The second was avoided thanks to the deft maneuvering of Toursant, putting the _Fireball_ in position below the Longshot.

“Alright, let’s see him get to us now!”

*****

_“Sir, they seem to have navigated below the ship, out of range of the upper laser cannons.”_

“I’m aware of that, Leema! In fact, I was counting on it!”

Flipping a switch on his targeting computer, Jakson took control of the lower laser cannons remotely. As he did so, a camera in the lower gun chair projected the view from below onto a screen in front of him. He took care to not tip off the Irving Boys to his plan until it was too late for them to react. Waiting, they pulled closer to his ship, continuing to try and disable it. As they came within range, Jakson fired a volley of concussion missiles from the lower turret, scoring three direct hits on the Fireball.

“Got ‘em!!!” Jakson cheered.

_“Direct hit, sir. Their ship has been damaged severely; one of the missiles managed to take out their shield generator.”_

*****

“Goddammit, we’re hit!” Toursant cursed.

“How bad, bro?”

“Shields are out, and… oh shit. All thruster control is gone, too! I’ve got no control of this thing!”

“WHAT?!”

“We gotta bail out; we’re on a collision course with the _Longshot_!”

Hesitating for only a moment, the brothers soon grabbed what they could and made for the escape pod, launching as soon as they got onboard. As they hurtled through space, they watched through the porthole as their ship drew closer to the _Longshot_. Soon, it struck the bottom of the hull. Jakson’s ship began to break apart from the blow, both ships self-destructing on top of each other. Just before the ships were engulfed in a massive explosion, Toursant could have sworn he saw an escape pod flying out in the opposite direction of theirs.

*****

_“Sir, their ship is on a collision course with ours. Impact is eminent.”_

“Oh god, no… can we destroy it with the turrets?”

_“There is not time, sir; the ship is too close. You must escape. I will keep us stable until you are away. It has been an honor to fly with you.”_

Sighing, Jakson tearfully replied, “You too, Leema.”

Sliding down the ladder of the gun well, Jakson exited back onto the main deck of the ship, dashing to the cargo hold. Opening the wall panel, he immediately motioned for the Twi’lek women to rise.

“The ship’s going down; we’ve got to bail out!”

Just as he had spoken, the _Fireball_ struck the _Longshot_ , throwing everyone to the ground. Alarm sirens began to go off, and Jakson could hear the ship beginning to falter. Picking himself up, he helped the nearest girl to her feet, recognizing her as the one he had spoken to earlier.

“We have to go, NOW!”

“Is there enough space for us all?” she asked.

“I’ve got two escape pods, should be plenty.”

The Twi’lek followed him down the hallway towards the escape pod entrance hatch. Punching the control panel, Jakson’s heart sunk at what he saw.

“Shit… launch mechanism has been damaged, only one pod is functional.” Opening the hatch, he motioned to the group of Twi’leks gathering behind him. “Get in. As many as are able.”

“Captain, there is not enough space for everyone,” their leader replied.

“I know, but I’ve got to save as many of you as I can. Get in, I’ll launch you to safety.”

The blue Twi’lek glanced back at her friends, and they all seemed to communicate in silence with their head tails. As she turned back to Jakson, she said firmly, “Either we all go, or none of us go. I will not abandon any of my sisters, and they feel the same. You are a good, honest man. You do not deserve to die when you attempted to save us.”

“If you think I’m leaving you here-”

“You have no choice,” she replied, forcing him back into the escape pod. Without a word, she closed the hatch and activated the pod, blasting Jakson off into space with a sad look on her face.

“No! Stop! Don’t do this!” Jakson tried to protest, but it was too late. He now saw his beloved _Longshot_ through the porthole, beginning to fall apart before his eyes. As the two ships finally exploded, engulfing his copilot and those poor girls, a part of Jakson’s soul died with them…

*****

“And that’s it… now you know everything. After my escape pod landed on Jakku, I found an old warehouse owned by the Irving Boys and stole that freighter, intending to go on the run with it. As bad a shape as it was in, though, I wasn’t leaving this planet, and decided the best thing to do would be to head for Niima Outpost and disappear. The Irving Boys had placed a bounty on my head, saying I was completely responsible for killing all those girls. I knew every bounty hunter in the galaxy would be out to collect. Fast forward, and here we are…”

“With you, I doubt that’s everything, Jak,” Rey said, treating the cuts on his forehead.

“I’m just so sorry I got you into this… you don’t deserve to get caught in the crossfire…”

“Jak, hush. Even if we weren’t romantically involved, I’d help you against the Irving Boys anyway, no questions asked.”

“Thanks, Rey.” Sitting up, he looked around Rey’s makeshift home, wondering if this might be the end for him. “They’ll be here soon. No way they won’t be able to track us, even with their swoop bikes damaged.”

“Perhaps, but they’ll have a hell of a time once they get here,” Rey said with a grin. “I’ve set up every trap imaginable outside my home. If it’s just the two of them, they won’t even survive the approach, I’d wager.”

“Maybe, but don’t underestimate them.”

As they spoke, the familiar sound of Jakson’s speeder bike approached from outside of the AT-AT.

“Ok, show time,” Jakson muttered.

Peering out from a crack in the hull with blaster pistol in hand, Jakson could see the silhouettes of the Irving Boys against the morning sun. They stood atop a hill, calling down to him.

“Jakson, come on out! Nowhere left to run; just take your punishment like a man!” Toursant threatened.

“How confident are you in your traps?” Jakson asked Rey.

“They’ve never failed me yet.”

Smiling, Jakson shouted back to the Irving Boys, “You want me? You’ll have to drag me out!”

Jakson watched with anticipation as the pair began to work their way down the hill towards the AT-AT. As they approached the feet of the vehicle, Rey pushed a button on the wall near her, activating a trio of shock grenades at the feet of the Irving Boys. They staggered and yelped in pain, the electric shocks taking them completely by surprise.

“The fuck was that!”

“Shit… they must have this place hotwired,” Vanver surmised.

“Was that it?” Jakson asked.

“Not even close,” Rey replied.

Pressing another button, Rey activated a pair of mini turrets, which began firing upon the Irving Boys. They evaded and took cover behind the foot of the AT-AT, but were pinned down for the moment.

“Alright, enough of this shit,” Vanver seethed.

Gripping his shotgun blaster, Vanver waited for a lull in the laser blasts. When they paused, he popped up from his hiding spot and blasted one of the turrets to smithereens. After repeating the process with the other turret, the brothers had decided that enough was enough.

“Time to change the game,” Toursant said.

Pulling a thermal detonator from his pocket, Toursant activated the timer and tossed it at the belly of the AT-AT. The distinctive beeping tipped the occupants off to what was happening.

“GRENADE!!!” Jakson shouted as the pair dove for cover.

The detonator soon exploded, blowing a hole in the side of Rey’s home and exposing them to the Irving Boys’ assaults. Rey pressed the final button on her control panel, yet nothing happened.

“Bloody hell… that blast damaged my last countermeasure! We’re sitting ducks!”

“Get to your speeder, Rey. I’ll cover you,” Jakson instructed.

“No! I’m not leaving you!”

“You’ve got nothing but your staff, Rey. You need to get to town. Find Unkar Plutt and tell him what’s going on. If you tell him they’re out to take back the freighter I gave him, I bet he’d be willing to send his guards as backup.” The pair then ducked as a few blaster bolts struck the side of her home. “Get out of here! I’ll keep you covered!”

“Fine. At least take my utility knife; you might need it.”

“Thanks. Good luck, Rey. I’ll see you soon.”

Rey sprinted towards her speeder outside, protected by a rapid series of blasts from Jakson’s Bryar pistol. Powering the vehicle up, she climbed aboard and sped off towards Niima Outpost.

“She’s running, bro! Jakson’s all alone!” Toursant crowed.

“You’re a fuckin’ dumbass! She could be goin’ for backup; get after her!” Vanver scolded him.

Realizing Vanver was likely correct, Toursant made for the speeder bike they had stolen from Jakson and took off after the girl. Vanver, meanwhile, began targeting Jakson with his shotgun blaster, forcing Jakson to remain at a distance as best as he could.

“Shit… he always has been trigger-happy,” Jakson muttered.

Finally, after four shots, Vanver had to pause to prevent his weapon from overheating. Jakson preyed on the opportunity, popping out of cover and firing several light, yet accurate shots at Vanver. Two grazed the foot of the AT-AT he hid behind, while the third managed to wing Vanver in the shoulder.

“You fucking prick! You’re gonna pay for that!” he roared in pain.

“Ah shit,” Jakson swore, seeing Vanver target him again. He dove back into cover just as the first blast struck near him.

*****

Rey sped through the desert, praying she would be able to bring help in time to save Jakson. As she adjusted course towards town, her speeder was rocked by a near miss of blaster fire.

“What the hell?!”

Glancing behind her, she spied Jakson’s speeder bike, now piloted by Toursant Irving, his blaster pistol in hand. She adjusted course again, knowing she would need to lose him before reaching town, or else she would be in serious trouble. As good a pilot as she was, Rey knew the speeder bike chasing her was far more maneuverable and had incredible acceleration. Getting an idea, she turned her path towards the north, approaching a large, open field.

“Get back here, girly!” Toursant shouted, drawing closer to Rey.

Firing another couple of shots, Toursant managed to strike the hull of her speeder, slowing her down considerably. Now almost on top of her, he accelerated and pulled alongside Rey. As he was about to blast her, the girl pulled out a quarterstaff, jousting with him as they flew through the desert. After a couple of swipes, she managed to knock his blaster out of his hand. While Toursant worked to keep his balance, Rey was able to adjust her speeder and get some of her speed back, pulling away from Toursant once more.

“You ain’t gettin’ away that easy,” he muttered.

Keeping a tight grip on the controls, Toursant activated a speed boost, rocketing forward and beginning to catch up with Rey. Pulling alongside her again, he now began to ram her with the side of his speeder bike. Her speeder was larger than his, though, and far more stable. Still, after a few well-timed kicks, Rey was struggling to keep from falling off.

“Are you insane?! You’ll kill us both!” Rey shouted.

Toursant refused to let up, trying everything he could to throw Rey from her mount. Seeing no other option, she pulled out her quarterstaff once more, prodding and jabbing at his face at every opportunity. He replied by grabbing on, trying to yank her off with it. Rey was ready for this tactic, and managed to keep a tight grip on her speeder. Pulling back with all her might, she took Toursant completely by surprise at her strength. His hand flailed about, trying to grab something of the speeder bike, but it was no use. He flew from the bike, landing in the soft sand with a thud. At first, Toursant was thankful for the sand, but soon realized why it was so soft: he was sinking into it. The pit he had landed in was drawing him towards its center, and he could do nothing to gain any traction to pull himself out.

“Here! Grab on!” a voice shouted.

To his utter shock, Rey was crouching at the edge of the sand pit, beckoning him to grab her staff so she could pull him out. Toursant had no idea why she would try to save him, but reached for her nonetheless. Finally managing to grab the strap of the staff, he struggled with everything he had to try and counteract the sinking sands.

“Come on! Don’t give up!” Rey tried encouraging him.

Even as he had a grip on the strap, it was tenuous and weak, and his body was still shell-shocked from being thrown off the speeder bike. Toursant pulled with all his might, but the sand was too strong. His sweaty palms finally got the best of him, and the staff slipped from his grip just as his face began to disappear below the surface of the sand. He screamed and shouted in desperation, but no sound came out. Soon, the desert had completely swallowed Toursant Irving.

“Shit… bloody awful way to go…” Rey muttered, turning back towards her speeder.

*****

Jakson and Vanver continued their duel, the latter keeping the former on the defensive for the most part. Jakson dashed and rolled between various areas of cover, just managing to avoid Vanver’s shotgun blasts. As Vanver’s rage grew, so did his recklessness, as he now advanced on Jakson’s position. This gave Jakson a slight opening to fire off a few shots at him. Unfortunately, Vanver had anticipated this, and dove forward into a roll. This allowed him to close the distance between them and avoid Jakson’s attack all at once.

“Not good enough, Jakson!”

Knowing Vanver was almost on top of him, Jakson spied Rey’s final trap that had failed to activate: a large, electrified net positioned above her home. Taking careful aim, he waited until Vanver was under the net before firing off a precision shot. This severed the pulley holding the net up, causing it to drop onto Vanver, catching him by surprise. Unfortunately, the net was not electrified, as it had not been activated properly by Rey’s security system, but it did manage to slow Vanver down. As he struggled to break free, Jakson fired into his chest. Vanver guarded on instinct, and the blaster bolt hit his shotgun blaster instead, rendering it inoperable.

“Shit! You fucker!” Vanver seethed.

“Now we’re talkin,” Jakson whispered to himself.

As Vanver finally managed to toss the net off of him, Jakson emerged from his hiding spot, preparing to finish his rival. In desperation, Vanver flung his useless weapon at Jakson, causing him to flinch and swat it away. As he did so, Vanver charged him, tackling him to the ground and forcing Jakson to drop his blaster pistol. Vanver stunned him with a few wild punches before beginning to crawl towards the blaster. Jakson grabbed onto his leg, trying desperately to keep him away from the weapon, as it would mean his certain death. Vanver answered by kicking Jakson in the face before continuing towards the pistol.

“Now you’re dead, Jakson!” Vanver cheered as he snatched up the weapon.

Jakson knew his only chance of surviving would be to avoid being shot, as Vanver preferred using his shotgun blaster due to his terrible aim. In contrast, the Bryar pistol was exceptionally accurate, requiring a skilled operator to maximize its potential. Rather than put his hands up as Vanver had expected, Jakson took off running towards the leg of the AT-AT. Vanver attempted to kill him, but his shots were way off target, flying behind Jakson as he ran. In frustration, Vanver flipped a switch on the pistol, activating its charge shot mode. Trying his best to take aim at Jakson, Vanver let loose the powerful shot, but it still flew over Jakson’s head.

“Missed me!” Jakson taunted, now beginning to climb up the AT-AT.

“Well, take this!” Vanver steadied his aim, pointed at Jakson's chest, and pulled the trigger.

_Click._

Nothing happened. Vanver tried once more.

_Click._

“What’s wrong, Vanver? Is the charge dry?”

“Shut up! You’re still fucking DEAD!!!”

Vanver tossed away the useless pistol and sprinted after Jakson, scrambling up the leg of the AT-AT. Soon, both men were atop the hull of the massive walker, staring each other down. With both of their blasters now useless, Jakson knew it would come down to single combat. Preparing for Vanver’s inevitable attack, his pulse raced as he saw the smuggler pull a dagger out of his pocket. Jakson responded by drawing Rey’s utility knife from his belt.

“Yah!” Vanver grunted, thrusting at Jakson.

Jakson sidestepped, slashing at Vanver’s arm with his own knife. His attack connected, but only cut into his jacket, missing his flesh. Thinking quickly, Jakson used his off-hand to deliver a pair of crushing punches to Vanver’s side, striking him in the kidney. Vanver staggered away from Jakson, but remained undeterred. Jakson now went on the offensive, slashing from the side at Vanver’s face, but his attack was blocked by Vanver’s arm. He retaliated by targeting Jakson’s torso with his knife, though Jakson managed to grab his wrist just in time, stopping the attack.

“You’re good, Jakson… but not good enough.”

As Jakson relaxed his knife arm, Vanver brought his blocking arm down below his waist. After tossing his knife into his left hand, he slashed at Jakson, catching him in the abdomen. Jakson panted and heaved, knowing he was lucky to escape with his life. He had no time to recover, seeing Vanver charging once more and slashing at Jakson from every direction. This action began to drive him back towards the head of the AT-AT. Knowing he was now on the edge of the walker’s body, Jakson waited for Vanver’s next strike, deflecting it and stabbing his knife into Vanver’s already injured shoulder. As his rival winced in pain, Jakson leapt over the neck of the walker and onto the side of the cockpit.

“Get back here!”

Vanver followed right behind him, rolling as he landed and bringing him face-to-face with Jakson once more. Jakson pressed his attack, stunning Vanver with a couple of punches to his wounded shoulder. He then attempted to impale him with his knife, but Vanver managed to grab Jakson’s wrist. The smuggler moved to slit Jakson’s throat, but Jakson caught his wrist just as the knife was at his neck. The two men struggled for what seemed like years, neither conceding an inch on the other. Finally feeling Vanver begin to weaken from his previous wound, Jakson managed to deliver a swift kick to his groin. Wincing in pain, Vanver disengaged and stumbled backwards.

Jakson now had the opportunity he was waiting for. Dashing forward, he ducked under a frenzied haymaker before finally stabbing the smuggler dead center in the chest. Vanver’s eyes bulged in surprise, his knife clattering to the hull of the walker as his body began to lose strength. He instinctively grabbed Jakson by the throat, but his hands were too weak to do anything short of brush against him. Pulling the knife from Vanver’s chest, Jakson stepped back and allowed his rival’s body to fall to the desert sands below. As he landed with a thud, Jakson breathed a sigh of relief. Vanver Irving was finally dead.

“Jak!”

Turning to look into the distance, Jakson’s heart leapt at what he saw. “Rey! You’re ok!”

She ran towards the walker from her speeder, a trio of Niima Outpost guards following right behind her. Jakson scrambled across the hull of the walker, sliding down the leg as she approached. He wrapped her up in an exuberant hug, thankful that she was alive and unhurt.

“What happened out there? I saw Toursant go after you, but…”

“I’m fine. He caught up to me, but I managed to pull him off the speeder bike in the fields north of here. He fell into a pit of sinking sand. He’s gone, Jak.”

“Vanver’s dead too. Just killed him in a knife fight. Thanks for that, by the way,” he said with a grin, handing Rey’s knife back to her.

“Anytime,” she said, planting a sweet kiss on his lips.

“Jakson, over here with us, please. You’re under arrest,” one of the guards ordered.

“Wait, what?” Jakson asked in confusion.

“No! You can’t arrest him, this was all self-defense!” Rey protested.

“This is by direct order of Unkar Plutt himself,” the guard replied.

Two of the guards restrained Rey as the third placed Jakson in binders and loaded him into their prisoner transport. They soon made way back to town, with Rey following right on their heels the entire time.

*****

“You’re lucky I don’t kill you where you stand!!!” Plutt roared.

“The hell are you so worked up about? Everything worked out just fine!” Jakson replied.

“Just fine?! Do you have ANY idea how much you almost cost me today?!”

“Stop, let me in!” came a muffled voice. Soon afterwards, Rey burst in through the door to Unkar Plutt’s office. “You can’t do this!”

“Sir, my apologies. She managed to push past us. I’ll escort her out,” a guard said from behind her.

“No need, she’ll just break in all over again,” Plutt said, waving the guard off. Turning his attention back to Jakson as the guard left, he growled, “ _She_ is the reason the events of today are completely unacceptable. The combination of her and the freighter I acquired from you are worth a small fortune, and I could have lost both today!”

“The Irving Boys are dead! Nobody else even knows about that freighter!” Jakson protested.

“So you say, but you also said that your past life would not come looking for you here. You said you would be able to completely disappear in Niima Outpost. Why should I believe you now?”

“With the Irving Boys dead, the bounty on my head dies with them,” Jakson said, trying to remain calm. “Nobody’s left to pay out on that bounty, so there’s no reason for anyone else to come after me.”

“That is not a chance I am willing to take any more. I have no qualms about killing you to protect my most valuable assets,” Plutt said, aiming his blaster pistol at Jakson.

“NO!” Rey protested, placing herself between Jakson and Plutt.

“Stand down, girl.”

“I will not. I… I love him. I won’t let you do this to him.”

“I’ll not jeopardize everything I’ve built here over your frivolous affections for him!”

“What if I ignore those feelings? What if… I end my relationship with Jakson, and promise never to see him again? If I do this, will you spare his life?”

Unkar Plutt paused, considering this offer. As Jakson tried to protest, Plutt growled, “Hush. This is no longer in your hands.” The hulking alien eyed Ray for several moments before continuing, “If you do this, know that my men will be always watching you, and him as well. Should they find even the slightest hint of contact between the two of you, he dies. Agreed?”

A tear streamed down Rey’s cheek as she whispered, “Agreed.” After wiping the tear from her face, she said, “I need a moment… to say goodbye to him.”

Grunting, Plutt stood and walked towards the door to his office. “You have five minutes,” he said, slamming the door shut behind him.

Rey turned towards Jakson, pulling the binders off of his wrists. He rubbed his tender skin, massaging the area that had been clamped down on by the restraints. Gazing into her eyes, Jakson brushed her cheek with his fingers.

“Rey… why? Why would you do that?”

“Because I love you, Jak. I would do anything for you… including never seeing you again, if it would save your life. I’m sorry, but it’s the only way. Please, don’t be mad at me.”

“I could never be mad at you, Rey. But… why do this? There’s nothing else forcing me to hide here, so let’s go! Let’s get a ship and run away. Together. We can live wherever we want, away from the Blobfish and his goons. Please, come with me.”

Tears flowed from her eyes, as she replied, “No. I… I can’t. My family will return for me, someday. I’ve got to be here when they do. I’m so sorry, Jak.”

“You… you’re sure?”

“I am. I have no choice. My place is here.”

Sighing, Jakson replied, “Then so is mine.”

“What?”

“Rey, I love you. I’m not giving up on you, or us. Sooner or later, Plutt will slip up. When he does… I’ll be there. We’ll be together again.”

“I… hope you’re right…”

*****

The next several weeks were the toughest of Jakson’s life. He saw Rey every day, yet could do nothing, not even wave hello from a distance. Anything of the sort would result in a swift response from Plutt’s guards. Everywhere she went, they followed close behind. During that time, Jakson didn’t live; he only survived. Plutt became increasingly stingy with his rations, though Jakson had built up a decent supply of food so he wouldn’t starve.

One day, as he walked through Niima Outpost, he noticed that Rey had a visitor accompanying her: a small, white and orange BB unit droid. This struck him as rather odd, and he wondered where she might have run across such an acquisition. Taking great care, he followed her at a distance, keeping an eye on her as she approached the concession stand to trade her parts for food rations. Though Plutt offered little for her scrap, he seemed to be quite interested in the droid with her. Jakson’s jaw dropped when he heard him offer sixty portions for the droid; that was almost two months worth of food!

Jakson watched as Rey considered the offer, then took her meager rations and told Plutt that he couldn’t have the droid. Jakson immediately worried for her, seeing Plutt mutter something into his radio before slamming his window closed. Jakson kept Rey within his sights as she returned to her speeder, but soon saw he had nothing to worry about. As Plutt’s guards ambushed her and attempted to take the droid, she gave them a resounding beating with her quarterstaff.

Just as Jakson celebrated her victory, the droid beside her seemed to notice an approaching danger, beeping in alarm. Rey glanced in the direction the little droid indicated, spying a dark-skinned human male. The unknown individual took off running, and Rey soon gave chase. By the time Jakson had caught up, he saw her pinning the man to the ground and calling him a thief. Seeing as she had the situation under control, Jakson continued to hang back, watching them converse. After a few moments, the man said something to the droid, which made it appear to hang its head in sorrow.

As Rey helped the man up and talked with him a bit more, Jakson turned and noticed a truly terrifying sight: First Order stormtroopers. They were pointing towards Rey, appearing to recognize the droid as the target they were after. Rey and her mysterious companion picked up on this and took off running. As they sprinted through town, a pair of TIE fighters zoomed in overhead, taking out a few structures with their laser cannons. Jakson took cover, then saw Rey, the dark-skinned man, and the droid dashing for the edge of town. As he looked for a way to help her, he noticed another group of stormtroopers moving to intercept them.

“They’ll never make it out,” he realized.

Springing to his feet, Jakson managed to get behind a stack of storage containers. Biding his time, he waited for the group of stormtroopers to run past them on the other side. Once they passed the containers, Jakson toppled them onto the soldiers, stopping them dead in their tracks. Smiling to himself, he saw Rey and her crew arriving at the shipyard in the distance. Now playing the part of an innocent bystander, he ran to the other side of the containers and offered help to the fallen stormtroopers.

“Officers! Are you alright?” Jakson asked with concern.

“Ungh… yeah. Yeah we’re alright,” their commander said, rising to his feet.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, no we know what we need to do now. Move along.”

“Yes sir,” Jakson replied with a friendly smile.

Off in the distance, he now spied the old YT model freighter he had stolen from the Irving Boys taking off, Rey no doubt at the helm. Unkar Plutt ran out in a fit of rage as she made off with the ship, but Jakson couldn’t help but smile at seeing her finally get one over on the hated Blobfish. As the old ship flew off into the distance, Jakson decided he had been on Jakku long enough, slipping out of town unnoticed to look for a way off this planet. A few minutes into his walk home, he watched as Rey’s ship finally broke the atmosphere, taking off into outer space.

“Take care of yourself, Rey,” he whispered. “I’ll never forget you…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my little nerd fantasy. Although I do have just a tiny crush on Daisy Ridley, I still wanted to try and craft a believable story for her within the Star Wars universe. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I hope you enjoyed the ride as well. Please continue to vote and comment; all feedback is welcome and appreciated!
> 
> -auguy86


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